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Names of Individuals on the Wall of Honor
The Belton High School Athletic Wall of Honor was created in September of 2001 to memorialize and honor the school’s past athletic heroes and championship teams; to inspire current student/athletes; and to alert “outsiders” of the great athletic tradition of Belton High School. Athletic tradition is no more than a “collective memory” of athletic accomplishments but, in the past, our tradition has been based on the short-term (and often faulty) memory of recent athletes and successes because few were aware of the individual and team successes of the more distant past. This wall seeks to make Belton and visitors aware of Belton High School’s most recognized athletes and teams from 1908 to the present and thus to enhance school athletic tradition by giving the community and school a long and accurate memory of athletic successes. This Wall will thus serve as recognition and a “Thank You” to past athletes who worked hard to build Tiger tradition and as an inspiration to young Belton athletes who want to “be like” some of the past stars. Hopefully, young Belton boys and girls who read about some of the athletes on the Wall will want to work hard so that they can “Run like Roy (Holcomb),” “Throw like Richard (Inman),” “Pitch like Audrey (Puckett),” vault like Billy Jack (Rhoads),” “Bat like Toby (Rumfield),” “Shoot like Tommy (Grant),” “Tackle like Robert (Dominguez),” “Kick like Jason (Ward),” “Catch like Robert (Ford),” “Star in the SuperBowl like Ricky (Sanders)” or “Be a great student/athlete like Kelly (Brooks).” Perhaps the Wall will help Belton’s youth to aspire to “be on the Wall” and to work with their coaches toward that goal. The Wall does tell Belton youth that “if you work hard and become a champion you will be remembered at Belton High School and you will become a permanent part of Tiger tradition.” Outsiders will learn that Belton has produced some of the greatest high school athletes in the history of Texas such as Richard Inman and Brett Stafford who made all-state in three sports and Anitra Davis who made all-state in the same sport for four years. Belton may not have won as many state team championships as some other schools but Belton will be known—thru the Wall of Honor---- as the school which has done the most to recognize and honor its championship teams. This Wall is dedicated to the 1909 Belton High School track team which won a “Hoosiers-type” (rf. the movie, "Hoosiers") state championship over much larger schools only to be forgotten by the school and community within 40 years. That once forgotten team will be recognized and remembered forever thru this Wall of Honor and will forever be the beginning point of Tiger tradition. The Belton High School Athletic Wall of Honor includes 71 athletes & five teams from 1909-2001 and was researched by Dr. Billy Wilbanks (BHS Class of 1958) who went through old copies of the Belton Journal, Temple Daily Telegram and Waco Tribune-Herald to build the list of Honorees which met the following criteria: The Belton athlete (1) made 1st, 2nd or 3rd team all-state in a sport by Coaches or a major newspaper; (2) won a state championship (or was runner-up) in a sport such as track & field; (3) is included on a college Hall of Fame; (4) played/coached a sport at the top professional level (i.e., NFL); or (5) achieved the status of a national sports figure (i.e., sportswriter Blackie Sherrod). After the unveiling of the Wall of Honor on Sept. 29, 2001, a committee will be established to review the criteria and to vote on admissions after 2001 (including those athletes from 1909-2001 who were inadvertently omitted from the current list). Belton High School acknowledges the work of Dr. Wilbanks in researching the list of eligible athletes and creating the plaques and the Wall and Robert Dominguez of Ambreco Construction and Billy Harris of Belton Glass for donating time and materials for the cabinet. Roy E. Holcomb is Belton High School’s greatest forgotten sports hero! In 1909 in an era when all high schools in the state (regardless of size) participated in the same “class,” the Tigers won the state track championship by scoring 53 points (winning first in 7 of 13 events) to 28 for second place San Antonio, 20 points for third place Austin, and 16 points for fourth place Dallas. Holcomb scored 25 points (almost as many as the second place team) by himself with four firsts, two seconds, and two thirds and broke four state records. In 2001 he still remains the only track athlete to ever win four events at the Texas state meet. Yet this remarkable athletic performance by Holcomb and the team was forgotten by Belton by the 1950's as the school declared that the 1958 Tiger basketball team had won the first state championship in school history. Senior Roy Holcomb, 19, won first place in four events: the 100-yard dash at 10.8; the 220-yard dash at 23.4; the 440-yard dash at 56.4; and the 12-pound hammer throw at 111'. He was second in the 50-yard dash and ran on Belton’s second place 880-yard relay team; and was third in the 12-pound shotput and in the 120-yard low hurdles for a total of 25 points. He broke state records in four events (the 100-yard and 220-yard dashes, hammer throw and the 880-relay) and the Belton team “broke eight of thirteen State high school records” in the state high school track meet on Fri-Sat. and in the Monday duel meet with “academy champion” Allen Academy (which Belton lost 58-55). Roy Holcomb’s athletic talent was not limited to track and field as the 1909 high school yearbook indicated that he also lettered in football, baseball and basketball. Holcomb was a catcher and outstanding hitter on the 1909 baseball team and a “speedy halfback” on the 1908 Tiger football team who was described as “easily the star high school football player of Central Texas” (the team played only 3 games). Roy Holcomb lettered in track, football, and baseball at the University of Texas from 1909-1912. The 1912 Cactus reported that Holcomb (as a junior) won third place in the 220-yd dash, second in the 440-yd dash, and ran on the winning mile relay team (3:26.4) at the “Intercollegiate Meet” against A&M, Baylor, Southwestern, Daniel Baker, and Austin College. He also led the sophomores to the championship of the UT “Class Track Meet” in 1911 by winning the 100-yd dash (10.3), the 220-yd dash (22.4), and the 440-yd dash (54.4) and won the 100-yd dash and 220-yd dash as a freshman at the same meet in 1910. Also, he had the fourth highest batting average (.250) on the1911 UT baseball team which was 14-12-1. Roy dropped out of UT after his junior year and joined the U.S. Army serving two years during World War I. He then taught school at “a little red schoolhouse” in Bell County for a short time before moving to San Antonio to coach at the Peacock Academy. He later worked for the Pacific Railroad in Bay City and managed car dealerships in San Benito and Brownsville before moving to Austin where he was a real estate broker until his retirement. Roy Holcomb died in 1969 at the age of 80 and is buried at Austin Memorial Park. In 2001 he was survived by his two daughters, Elizabeth Eberhard, 79, and Patsy Ann Acevedo, 69, of Austin; three grandchildren, Elizabeth Ann Acevedo of Austin, Susan Marie Savely of AK, and Jorge Michael Acevedo of Clovis CA; and three great grandchildren (the family knew little of Roy’s feats until contacted by this author). Roy E. Holcomb was born on Oct. 15, 1889, in Belton to John A. and Emma Holcomb. He was the oldest of four children (Roy, Ernest, Eunice and J.C.) and grew up in “Midway.” His mother and father both died in Bell County by 1941, the four children moved away, and Belton forgot Roy Holcomb. However by 2001 the new Tiger Wall of Honor includes a plaque describing the heroic feats of Roy Holcomb, Belton’s greatest forgotten (no more) sports hero! Pat H. Dougherty won first place in the broad jump and discus and was second in four other events at the state track meet in 1909 to join Roy E. Holcomb in leading Belton to the state track team championship in an era when all high schools in the state (regardless of size) competed in the same “class.” He later became an attorney and was the executive assistant to two Texas governors early in his legal career and was a judge at retirement. The year 1909 marked the third year that the State of Texas had held an official state track meet as team winners from every region of the state were invited to Clark Field at the U. of Texas on May 7-8, 1909, to compete for the state team championship. Belton won the Central Texas regional with 42 points over Temple (31 points), Waco (15), McGregor (6), and Corsicana (0) and advanced to the state track meet along with the three other regional winners, Dallas High School, San Antonio High School, and Austin High School. Thus the 1909 track meet was an early example of “The Final Four” (teams) as applied to track. Belton won the state track championship in 1909 by scoring 53 points to 28 for second place San Antonio, 20 points for third place Austin, and 16 points for fourth place Dallas. Senior Roy Holcomb won first place in four events: the 100-yard dash at 10.8; the 220-yard dash at 23.4; the 440-yard dash at 56.4; and the 12-pound hammer throw at 111'. He was second in the 50-yard dash and ran on Belton’s second place 880-yard relay team; and was third in the 12-pound shotput and in the 120-yard low hurdles for a total point count (according to the newspapers–their point calculations are unclear) of 25. The second highest individual point total of 16 was made by senior Pat Dougherty who Dougherty, a senior, who won the broad jump at 19'6" and discus throw at 96'3" and placed second in the 100-yard dash, the 220-yard dash and the 120-yard low hurdles and ran on Belton’s second place 880-yard relay team. A third Belton athlete, Arthur O’Connor, won first in the 880-yard dash at 2:12 & 2/5 and ran on the second place 880-yard relay team. A fourth team member, Pope, was third in the 880-yard dash and ran on the second place 880-yard relay team. Thus Belton athletes were state champions in 7 of the 13 individual events. The 1909 annual reported that Belton broke eight of thirteen State high school records in the state high school track meet on Fri-Sat. and in the Monday duel meet with “academy champion” Allen Academy which Belton lost 58-55. Holcomb broke state records in four events: the 100-yard dash (10.8), 220-yard dash (23.2), hammer throw (121'4'), and the 880-yard relay (1:40) and Dougherty in three events: the broad jump (19'8"), discus (96'3) and 880-yard relay (1:40). Pat Dougherty’s athletic talent was not limited to track and field as the 1909 high school yearbook indicated that he was captain of the 1908 baseball team and that “the success of the team was largely due to the magnificent work” of Dougherty, the pitcher, who “had an excellent assortment of kinks and used wonderful judgment in sizing up the opposing batters.” Pat also played on the 1908 football team and the yearbook noted that he and Shanklin were “the two fastest ends in Central Texas” (the team played only 3 games, losing twice to Temple and playing a scoreless tie with Lampasas). He was also an “all-around student” as he was president of the senior class and editor of the yearbook. Patrick Henry Dougherty was born in Dimmitt County on Sept. 13, 1889, to John Michael Dougherty (1853-1990) and Mary Windsor Patton Dougherty (1957-1935) and moved with his family to Belton at the age of 15. He graduated from Belton H.S. in 1909. Over a 40-year legal career he was executive assistant to Texas Governors Dan Moody and Ross Sterling, assistant Texas attorney general, assistant in the U.S. Dept. of Justice, assistant Austin city attorney and municipal judge. Pat Dougherty died in Austin on March 14, 1968, at the age of 78. He was survived in 1968 by two daughters, Rebecca Steele of St. Louis and Betty Scheid of Garland (who both survived in 2001); two sons, Burke P. Dougherty of Austin and Henry H. Rogers of Lufkin; and eleven grandchildren and one great, grandchild. Arthur O’Connor won first place in the 880-yard run and ran on the winning 880-yard relay team at the state track meet in 1909 to help Belton win the state track team championship in an era when all high schools in the state (regardless of size) competed in the same “class.” O’Connor was also captain of Belton’s “first all-student football team” in 1908. He practiced law in Belton until his death in 1975. Arthur O’Connor was born on Jan. 6, 1892, in (Midway) Bell County to Charles and Mary O’Connor and was one of six children. He attended the Old Rock Church School in Midway and Belton High School where he graduated in 1909. Arthur married Irene Smith of Kansas in 1922 and the couple had one child, Patricia, who graduated from BHS in 1942, obtained a Ph.D. in linguistics from UT, and later taught at Stanford U. in CA and Brown U. in Providence RI until her retirement in 1989. The year 1909 marked the third year that the State of Texas had held an official state track meet as team winners from every region of the state were invited to Clark Field at the U. of Texas on May 7-8, 1909, to compete for the state team championship. Belton (the team was not called the “Tigers” in 1909 but was simply referred to as “the Belton team” or “Belton High School”) won the Central Texas regional with 42 points over Temple (31 points), Waco (15), McGregor (6), and Corsicana (0) and advanced to the state track meet along with the three other regional winners, Dallas High School, San Antonio High School, and Austin High School. Thus the 1909 track meet was an early example of “The Final Four” (teams) as applied to track and field. Belton won the state track championship in 1909 by scoring 53 points to 28 for second place San Antonio, 20 points for third place Austin, and 16 points for fourth place Dallas. Belton athletes were state champions in 7 of the 13 individual events. The 1909 annual reported that Belton broke eight of thirteen State high school records in the state high school track meet on Fri-Sat. and in the Monday duel meet with “academy champion” Allen Academy which Belton lost 58-55. Senior Roy E. Holcomb broke state records in four events: the 100-yard dash (10.8), 220-yard dash (23.2), hammer throw (121'4'), and the 880-yard relay (1:40). Senior Pat H. Dougherty broke state records in three events: the broad jump (19'8"), discus (96'3) and 880-yard relay (1:40) and senior Arthur O’Connor broke state records in two events: in the 880 yard dash (2:11.2) and the 880 yard relay (1:40). It appears that the 2:11.2 record time in the 880 was in the dual meet against Allen Academy and that his winning time in the state high school meet the prior weekend was 2:12.4. Arthur O’Connor was an all-around student as he was president of the student council and captain of the debate team in high school. His athletic talent was not limited to track and field as the 1909 high school yearbook indicated that he was the third baseman on the 1909 baseball team and was one of the starting halfbacks on the 1908 football team which he later described (in a Belton Journal column in 1969) as the “first all-student football team” in the history of the high school. Before 1908 teams were seldom fielded and, if so, also included members of the faculty as O’Connor reported that the superintendent played fullback and another faculty member was the quarterback of one of the teams from1903-1907. The 1908 team comprised only of students had to “reach down” to the seventh grade to find enough “big boys” who “were permitted by their parents to play football.” The 1908 team played only 3 games, losing twice to Temple and playing a scoreless tie with Lampasas. Arthur attended the University of Texas from 1909-1913 where he participated in intramural track winning the 880 yard dash as a freshman in the “Class Track Meet” of 1910. He graduated from UT in 1913 with a degree in pre-law and from UT law school in 1916. He served 4 years in the U.S. Marines including time on the Battleship Pennsylvania and then moved to Houston to practice law. He returned to Belton in the early 1930's “to take charge of his farm and ranch holdings” and “handled only special cases in the higher courts, as his time would permit.” He opened a law office in Belton in 1943 where he practiced law until his retirement in 1970. He served for a time as Bell County District Judge and worked in semi-retirement until his death in 1975 at the age of 83. In 2001, his daughter, Patricia O’Connor, lived in Belton on the family estate. Joe Barnes was voted the most outstanding male athlete at Belton High School in 1932 and in 1935 was named the most outstanding football player of the Texas Conference and first team all-conference for Southwestern University where he is enshrined in the college’s Athletic Hall of Fame. He was a teacher/administrator for 35 years and ended his career in Belton where he retired. Joe Barnes was born (1913) and raised in Belton. When Joe won the Rylander Cup (for the most outstanding male athlete at Belton H.S.) in 1932 he was carrying on a family tradition as his older brothers, Orin and T.F., were stars on the Tiger teams of the 1920's and Orin won the cup in 1927. Joe was on the Tiger football teams of 1928 (with a season record of 3-5), 1929 (6-4), 1930 (3-5-1) and 1931 (0-4-1) coached by Bob Safley and Ed Franklin and was captain in his sr. year of 1931 as a 140 lb. QB. Though a “star” player, he received little recognition since he played on mostly losing teams and since there were no all-district or all-state teams for smaller schools like Belton in that era. Barnes was also a 5-10" G on the 1932 Tiger basketball team coached by Bob Safley, played on the 1929 and 1930 baseball teams (he was offered a contract by the Houston Buffaloes in 1936), and was on the 1932 track team (winning the 120-yd high hurdles & running on the winning mile relay team at the County Track Meet). Joe played football and basketball for four years at Southwestern University and was captain of the Pirate football team in his sr. year as a 170 lb. back. He was voted 1st team all-conference and the most outstanding player of the Texas Conference in football for the 1935 season even though he played on a losing team. He was honorable mention Little All-American in football and honorable mention all-conference in basketball in his sr. year of 1935-1936. Joe Barnes is in the Southwestern University Athletic Hall of Fame and a plaque describing his feats is permanently displayed at the Athletic Dept. The plaque reads: Joe C. “Clonny” Barnes, Captain of the Southwestern University 1932 freshman football team and captain of the 1935 varsity football team, was ranked one of the state’s best linebackers and halfbacks. At the close of his senior season, he was voted the “Most Valuable Player” in the Texas Conference and received “honorable mention” for “Little All American” honors. He was also a three year letterman in basketball. Joe Barnes became a popular school administrator, serving as a teacher, coach, principal and superintendent in Texas public schools until his retirement. Joe Barnes joined the U.S. Navy in 1942. He served first in the Navy’s physical fitness program before being assigned to the Navy’s Armed Guard for the merchant ships (e.g., tankers) in the Pacific and Atlantic. After the war he returned to his career of coaching and teaching (he had been a coach/teacher at Little River-Academy, Hearne and San Augustine before the war) and served as a principal and superintendent in Georgetown (1947-1963), Aransas Pass, Lockhart, and Belton (1969-1977). His final job in a 35-year teaching career was in 1977 as principal of the Belton Middle School. In 2001 Joe and his wife of 63 years, Lilla, live in Belton and have two grown daughters, Bettie and Joelle, and a granddaughter, Amanda. Joe is still active at 88 and has won several medals in golf at the Texas State Senior Olympics held each October in Temple. He made a hole-in-one at the 119-yard 17th hole at Leon Valley Golf Course on April 19, 2001. Longtime sportswriter Blackie Sherrod is perhaps the best known sports figure to have played high school sports at Belton H.S. Sherrod became famous as the sports editor of the Dallas Times Herald in the 1960's and 1970's and in 2001 still writes a column for the Dallas Morning News. Sherrod is the best known sports writer in the history of Texas and has been named several times as the Texas and national sportswriter of the year. William Forrest Sherrod, the only child of Marvin and Leola Sherrod, was born in Belton on Nov. 9, 1919. His father was a barber and his mother was a music teacher. Forrest was an outstanding 3-sport athlete (and sports writer for the Belton Tiger ) during his years at Belton High School. Though his major sport was football, he was also a starter as a senior on the 1937 Tiger basketball team that won an 8-county “district” tournament before losing to Temple in the regional. He also ran track and won first place in the District in the 880-yd dash in his senior year and finished second in the same event as a junior. Forrest Sherrod was the starting quarterback as a junior for the 1935 Tiger football team and led Belton’s first undefeated team to an 8-0 record in the regular season and the first District championship in 11 years before a 6-0 Bi-District loss to Lockhart. The Tigers shut out their opponents in 6 of the 8 regular season games as the opposition averaged only 2.5 ppg. The crucial game that decided the 1935 District championship was the 7-0 victory over Cameron. The only touchdown of the game was scored by Sherrod in a memorable play he described in his 1975 book, Blackie Sherrod: Scattershooting. After the Tigers had marched down the field running the ball and reached the five yard line late in the fourth quarter, Sherrod, incredibly, called a pass play requiring a back with a broken hand (Rayborn Vannoy) to throw him a pass “over the middle” that could have been easily intercepted. The play was successful and Belton won the game and the District championship----but Sherrod concedes to this day that it was a foolish call and could have easily made him the “goat” of the football season. The next season the senior Sherrod quarterbacked the 1936 Tigers to a 7-1-1 record (the tied game was with Cameron, the District champion) and second place in the district. Sherrod and two other Belton backs (Richard Vannoy and Bill Mulhollan) made All-District as the Belton offense dominated District play scoring 171 points to 19 for opponents. Sherrod’s “biggest game” was the 48-0 District victory over Thrall in which he scored four touchdowns in the first half. Sherrod attended Baylor University for one year (1937-38) before transferring to Howard Payne where he played one season (1938) of college football as a wingback but, by his own admission, he “wasn’t big nor gifted enough” to continue playing. During that one year of college football he was nicknamed “Blackie” by an assistant coach and the name “stuck.” Sherrod graduated from Howard Payne in May of 1941 with B.A. in English and joined the U.S. Navy shortly after the beginning of World War II. He spent most of the war as a “torpedo plane gunner in the Pacific,” flying 22 missions and winning three medals. After the war, Blackie Sherrod worked first as a sportswriter with the Temple Telegram in 1946 and then for 10 years (1947-1957) with the Ft. Worth Press and 26 years (1958-1984) with the Dallas Times Herald (where he was sports editor and columnist). For the past seven years he has been a columnist with the Dallas Morning News. By 2001 Blackie Sherrod had been a sportswriter for almost 54 years and had received every award in the field. He was named Texas Sportswriter of the Year 17 times; National Headliners Club National Sportswriter of the Year; Red Smith National Sportswriter of the Year; and is a member of the National Sportswriter Hall of Fame. He was awarded an honorary Ph.D. by Howard Payne University in 1997 and was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in the early 1970's. Sherrod has co-authored books with Darrell Royal and Freddie Steinmark and has published collections of his article/columns in Blackie Sherrod: Scattershooting (1975) and The Blackie Sherrod Collection (1988). In 2001 Blackie Sherrod lives in Dallas with his wife, Joyce. He has two grown stepchildren, Rebecca Pearce of San Antonio and Kimberly Wilson of Dallas. Charles “Steak” Miller was named to the Class B all-state team by the Waco Tribune-Herald after the 1937 football season becoming the first (known) all-state football player in Belton school history. He played football at Texas A&M before serving in the U.S. Army during World War II and owned his own construction company in Houston for many years before he died in 1995 at the age of 74. Charles Maxwell Miller was born on Sept. 11, 1920, in Belton TX to Henry A. and Lillie Davidson Miller and was one of ten children who were raised in Belton. His mother died when he was very young and during high school he lived with his older sister, Claribel (the first woman deputy sheriff in Bell County history), who was married to Bell County Sheriff John R. Bigham. Charles “Steak” Miller was a sophomore reserve (he did not win a “letter”) on the 1936 Belton team that was 7-1-1 on the year and featured QB Forrest Sherrod (who later became the nationally famous sports editor “Blackie” Sherrod) and HB Richard Vannoy. He was a starting guard as a junior on the 1937 Belton team that won the district championship but lost to San Saba 33-7 in bi-district to finish 9-1 on the year. The Tigers were undefeated in the regular season averaging 36 points per game including blow-outs of 85-0 over Thorndale and 57-0 over Rockdale. The defense shut out 8 of its first 9 opponents allowing only 6 points (to Georgetown) for an average of only 0.7 points per game. Miller and End Jamie Wilson were the top offensive and defensive lineman for the Tigers while the top backs were Blackie Blackburn (who later played FB at Southwestern U.), Doyle McQueen and Ray Mulhollan (who played at A&M from 1939-1942). In 1937 the Waco Tribune-Herald for the first time selected a Class B all-state team and named Miller as one of two guards while noting that “Steak Miller, fiery guard of Belton, who did so much to make Belton’s five-man line possible, is also on the team. We got nothing but lavish praise for the ability of Miller. He must have done the most to bring Belton the district title.” The all-state team featured QB Dean Bagley of San Saba (which beat Belton in bi-district) whom the Waco newspaper claimed was the leading scorer in Texas and in the nation with 268 points. In Miller’s final season in Belton, the 1938 Tigers were only 4-2-3 on the year and played three scoreless ties (with San Saba, McGregor and Cameron). The Waco Tribune-Herald did not name a Class B all-state team in 1938 and thus Miller did not have a chance to repeat his all-state honor from the prior season. Charles Miller graduated from Belton H.S. in 1939 and, with his friends and teammates, Ray Mulhollan and Jamie Wilson, went to A&M to play football. Miller and Wilson played only two years for the Aggies but Mulhollan played for four years—all three were squad members as freshmen on the 1939 Aggies’ national championship team that was 11-0 on the year and beat Tulane 14-13 in the Sugar Bowl. Miller attended Texas A&M for two years (1939-1941) and majored in Agricultural Administration before leaving school in November of 1941 to join the U.S. Army. He served throughout World War II and, after the war, moved to Houston and worked for Brown and Root Construction Company before forming his own company, Spinoza Construction, which he operated until his retirement. He and his wife, Doris, had three children, Max, Susan and Melissa. Charles Miller died in Corpus Christi TX on May 6, 1995, at the age of 74 and was buried in the North Belton Cemetery beside his daughters Susan (1945-1957) and Melissa (1954-1988). His father, Henry A. Miller (1876-1942), is buried nearby. In 2001 his widow, Doris, and son, Max Miller, lived in Houston. Jamie Wilson was named all-state tournament at the state basketball tournament in Austin in 1938 when there was no (pre-state tournament) statewide “all-state” team—he thus made the only all-state team that was chosen that year. He was chosen one of the five best players on the top eight teams in the state which made “the final eight” at the state tournament in an era when there was only one state championship decided for all of the 1,500 teams in the state. He later played basketball and football at Texas A&M. Wilson, a 6'2" forward, scored 16 of Belton’s 24 points in the state tournament loss to Dallas Woodrow Wilson and made the all-tournament team along with two players from Woodrow Wilson. Wilson had earlier won “all tournament” honors in the Central Texas Invitational and the District and Regional tournaments. He was Belton’s leading scorer for three years on teams that went to the regional tournament each year. He was a three-sport star for the Tigers as he won the District high jump championship with a leap of 6'2" in 1937 and was an outstanding end on Belton’s football teams of 1935-38 (the 8-1 team of 1935 & the 9-1 team of 1937 were District champions and were beaten in Bi-District. Wilson was recruited by Arkansas, LSU and A&M for football and played football (end) and basketball at Texas A&M for two years (1939-40 thru 1940-41) before being drafted by the U.S. Army at the beginning of World War II. Belton began the 1937-38 basketball season with no high expectations but surprised the experts by winning the 14-team First Annual Central Texas Invitational Tournament in Temple. Belton played the regular season as part of the newly formed Central Texas League that included Temple, Georgetown, Rosebud and Cameron and finished second in the league (to Temple) but league play “had no bearing on the state race.” Belton’s four losses during the year--to Temple, Waco and Rosebud (twice)---came early in the season before the team “hit its stride.” In 1938 at the end of the regular season all schools participated in a county (or city) tournament, then in one of 32 “district” tournaments, and a “regional” (4 district winners) with the winner making the “final eight” in the state tournament in Austin. The Tigers beat Cyclone 36-4, the “county rural champion,” in the Bell County tournament and, then in the District 23 tournament (8 county champions plus Temple H.S. and Austin H.S) at Georgetown, defeated Austin H.S. (the 3rd victory over Austin in 1938), Lampasas 34-25, and Georgetown 43-34. In the Regional Meet in San Marcos, Belton beat Shiner 28-16 in the first round and upset powerful Thomas Jefferson H.S. of San Antonio, 31-26, in the final to earn a berth in the state tournament and achieve a “Hoosiers” (the movie) type feat by reaching the “final eight” of 1,500 teams. The 1938 state tournament field included Dallas Woodrow Wilson, Houston John Reagan, El Paso Bowie, Kingsville, Abilene, Carey , Bailey, and Belton (thus three small schools made the “final eight”). Belton was beaten 43-24 in the first round by 30-0 Dallas Woodrow Wilson which went on to defeat Houston Reagan 29-28 in the semifinals and Abilene H.S. 41-27 in the final to win the state championship. The 1938 Tiger squad, coached by Bob Safley, was 30-4 entering the state tournament and was comprised of Jamie Wilson (38), Ray Stringer (33), Doyle McQueen (32), Joe Furnace (30), and Nick Furnace (36). The team was known for its tenacious defense and for the rebounding and scoring of Wilson who averaged around 15 points a game though the team seldom scored 40 points (he scored 16 of Belton’s 24 points in the state tournament game against Woodrow Wilson). The team was not “deep” and the starting five played almost all of every game. After the war Wilson returned to Belton and operated Wilson Brothers’ Grocery until 1960 when he moved to CA and worked for Safeway for 23 years until retirement in 1983. In 2001 Jamie Wilson remained in Sanger CA and has five children, 13 grandchildren, and 3 great grandchildren. In 1952 Benny Bloomer became Belton’s first football player to make the Texas Sportswriter’s Association Class AA All-state team which began with the 1951 season. Bloomer also became the first Tiger to play in the Texas High School Coaches’ all-star game and won a football scholarship to Texas A&M but finished his career at Texas A&I. He coached for 34 years until his retirement in 1991. Benny Bloomer was born in Belton on July 27, 1935, to John P. & Helen Bloomer and was the oldest of two boys. His paternal grandfather came to Belton in 1888 and his father graduated from Belton H.S. in 1927 and Texas A&M in 1931. His family was very “musical” and Benny was in the high school band by the 7th grade playing the baritone & sousaphone. He was an excellent swimmer as a youth but his interest soon turned to football. Benny started as a 181 lb. soph on the 1950 Belton team that was only 2-7-1. He was a 217 lb. junior all-district tackle on the 2-8 Tiger team that moved up to Class 2A in 1951. As a 5'10", 217 lb. senior he was the anchor of the Tiger offensive and defensive lines on the 1952 team that was 6-5 and won District for the first time since in 14 years. The Tigers beat Lockhart 18-0 in Bi-District and then lost to Killeen 19-0 in the Regional. The 1952 Tigers became only the second Tiger football team (the first was the 1924 team) to go as far as the regional game in the state playoffs. Bloomer was again voted to the all-district team; was chosen as the district’s best lineman and as Belton’s best lineman; and was selected to the All-Central Texas Team. He was named to the Class 2A all-state team named by the Texas Sportswriters Association (which began selecting all-state teams in 1951), becoming the first Belton player to make all-state. Benny also became the first Belton player chosen by the Coaches Association to play in the annual summer all-star game which had been held since 1935 and played tackle on the winning (13-7) South team led by Temple QB Doyle Traylor. Benny was also a track and field star as he won the District title in the shotput for three years (as a soph, as a junior at 42'2", and as a senior at 46'3"). He also won the discus (124'5") at the District meet as a senior and placed third in the shotput (48'1") and discus at the regional meet. Benny graduated from Belton H.S. in 1953 and attended Texas A&M on a football scholarship. After playing (with Jack Pardee) on the 1953 Aggie freshman team, Benny transferred to Texas A&I following the Javelina’s new coach, Gil Steinke, who left A&M upon the arrival of Coach Bear Bryant in the spring of 1954. Benny was a starting guard at 221 lbs. on Steinke’s 1955 team (4-6) & 1956 team (7-3) and was the first of a long line of Belton football players who played at A&I (ex-Javelinas Bloomer, Jarrell Hayes, Charlie Williams and Bryan Sweeney are on the Belton Wall of Honor). Bloomer graduated from A&I with a BS in Ed. in 1958 and an MS. in biology in 1962. He married Peggy L. Williams of Temple in 1955 before moving to Kingsville and served as a volunteer coach at Riviera where Peggy taught while Benny attended A&I. He began his 34-year football coaching career in 1957 with seven years (1958-1965) at Riviera and then coached seven years at Rockport-Fulton (1966-1972). He moved on to LaGrange (1972-1975) where his 1974 team made the 2A semifinals and his 1975 team was state 2A champion leading to his selection as Central Texas Coach of the Year and the Kellogg Coach of the Year. He moved on to 5A Spring Woods H.S. where he coached for 14 years (1976-1990) and finished his 33-year high school football coaching career at 179-138-14 (with 19 winning seasons). Bloomer also served on the board of the Texas High School Coaches’ Association and on the advisory board of the Henry Frnka Football Clinic. He closed his coaching career with one year as an assistant coach at Sam Houston State in 1990-91. In 2001 Benny and Peggy Bloomer lived in retirement on Lake Limestone and enjoyed spending time with their three children, Helana Barmore of Houston, Bradley Bloomer of Sugarland and Bill Bloomer of Arlington and 8 grandchildren, Benjamin, Amanda, Sarah, & Alex Barmore and Brianna, Brice, John Paul and Jeffrey Bloomer. In 1953 Earl Wayne Miller became Belton’s second all-state football player since the beginning of the selection of all-state teams by the Texas Sportswriter’s Association in 1951. He later played at Baylor and in 1957 became the first of two ex-Tiger football players to make all-SWC in football. Earl Wayne Miller was born in Belton in 1934 to
Clarence and Lillian Miller. He and his younger brother, Billy, attended
Tyler Elementary, Belton Jr. High and Belton High School where Earl Wayne
graduated in 1954.
Earl Wayne was a three-year starter in basketball as a 6'2" forward and finished his career in the old wooden gym that was torn down after his senior season. As a soph he was the team’s fourth leading scorer and he and Penny Vann played with seniors Jerry Adkisson and Edgar Barnett. As juniors they played with LeRoy Johnson and Owen Carpenter, and as a seniors, with Fred Tulloch and Wayne Jackson. The team was 4th in the District in 1953 and 3rd in 1954. In track Earl Wayne ran the 440-yard dash and mile relay and threw the discus. The Tiger mile relay team of Miller, Rex Chatwin, Gibby Bailey and Penny Vann placed third in the district in his sophomore year. He won fourth in the discus in his senior year. Miller was a four-year letterman in football and was a 160 lb. starter at end in his sophomore season of 1951 when the Tigers were only 2-8 in their first year in Class AA and were led by the passing combination of sophomore QB Penny Vann to sophomore end Miller. He was second team all-district in his junior year when the 6-5 Tigers were District Champs, beat Lockhart 18-0 in Bi-District and lost to Killeen 19-0 in the Regional. The Tigers were 7-3 and District Tri-Champs in 1953 and Miller, a 178 lb senior end, was voted 1st team all-district, 1st team all-state by the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, and 1st team all-state by the Texas Sportswriters Association. Miller became the second Belton football player (Benny Bloomer was the first in 1952) to be voted all-state by the Texas Sportswriters Association which began selecting all-state teams in 1951. Earl was recruited by several SWC schools but chose to attend Baylor (Penny Vann chose to play at Columbia University in NYC). At Baylor Miller, a 6-2" 185 lb. end, started on both offense and defense in his junior and senior years. As a soph on the 1955 Baylor team that was 5-5 he was the team’s 2nd leading receiver with 10 catches for 153 yards. He was 4th in receiving (4 for 33 yards) as a junior on the 1956 Baylor team (led by Del Shofner) that was 9-2 and finished 11th in the nation after upsetting No. 2 Tennessee (led by Johnny Majors) 13-7 in the Sugar Bowl. As a senior he tied for the team lead in receiving with 249 yards on 16 catches on the Baylor team that was 3-6-1. Earl Wayne was named all-SWC (with SMU’s Don Meredith) after his senior year of 1957 and became the first of two ex-Belton football players to make all-SWC in football (Bernard Bartek of TCU was the second in 1962). He was also named honorable mention All-American and was taken in the 12th round of the 1958 NFL draft by the Green Bay Packers but did not make their final roster in 1958 (injury) or 1959. Earl Wayne graduated with a B.B.A. from Baylor in 1958 and has since worked for Upjohn Pharmaceutical and L.L. Sams. He married fellow Baylor student Carole Estes of Big Lake TX in 1960. In 2001 Earl Wayne, 66, and Carole Miller lived in McGregor TX as did their oldest daughter, Melissa Kay Goff Miller, 36, and her two children, Jennifer Lee Goff, 15, and Meghan Elizabeth Goff, 11. Their youngest daughter, Merideth Carole Miller Chambers, 33, lives in Lufkin with her husband, Les, and three children, Mallorie Carole Chambers, 7, Natalie Ruth Chambers, 6, and Emilie Nicole Chambers, 4. Bobby Cline won Belton’s first state championship in track and field in 45 years (since 1909) when he won the Class A state shotput championship in 1955 as a junior and became the first of four Tigers to win state in that event. He was also All-District in football and later started two years at tackle for Texas Tech. Bobby Cline was born in Dandridge TN in 1938 to W. Byrl and Agnes Cline. The Cline family moved to Belton when Bobby was in the second grade and he and his older sisters, Shirley and Myrna, attended Tyler Elementary, Belton Jr. High School and Belton High School, where Bobby graduated in 1956. Bobby had a Temple Telegram morning paper route all through high school and thus had to “start early” each school, weekend, and summer day. Cline was a starting tackle as a 188 lb. sophomore in 1953 on a 6-5 Belton team that was District co-champion. In 1954 he was All-District as a 225 lb. junior tackle on the 7-3 District Champs. In 1955 he was a 246 lb. senior tackle (and co-captain) and again was named All-District for the Tiger team that was 7-3 and third in the District. Cline was known for his speed (he ran an 11 flat 100-yard dash barefoot in “sweats”) as well as his size and was faster than all but two of the backs on the Belton team. Bobby Cline is known best for his track and field exploits. As a sophomore in 1954 he won the District shotput title at 46'6" (breaking the district record) and finished second in the discus and went on to finish fifth in the shotput at the state track meet. As a junior in 1955 he won both the District shotput at 49'5" (breaking his own district record of 46'6") and discus at 146'6" (breaking the district record of 131'10") and went on to win the regional shotput at a record 50'10" and placed second in the discus. He then won the Class A state shotput championship at 54'1" but failed to place at state in the discus. Bobby was on track for a second state shotput championship as a senior in 1956 but, due to a scheduling mix-up at the state track meet in Austin, he arrived after the competition had ended and was not allowed to compete. He had thrown a personal best of 55'4" in the regional meet (after winning district at 53'5) and had the best Class A throw in the state going into the state meet. The event was won in 53'1", two feet short of Cline’s best toss. Earlier in the year he was second in the shotput at the Border Olympics at Laredo at 53'4" and broke records in both the shot and discus as the Cameron Relays. He won the Texas Relays on April 7, 1956, with a toss of 55' that was the third best throw in the meet’s history. The 55' throw was the best since 1949 and was not matched at the Relays until 1960 when fellow Belton athlete, Richard Inman, won with a throw of 57'. Bobby was recruited by several SWC schools but chose to attend Texas Tech and was a starting tackle at 6'1" and 235 lbs. for the Red Raiders in 1959 & 1960. He played with All-American Center E.J. Holub and Dick Stafford (his roommate and later Belton’s coach) on the first Tech teams to play in the SWC. Cline participated in track and field as a freshman and threw the 16-pound shotput 46'2" in Tech’s first SWC competition after the Red Raiders were admitted to the conference in early 1956. He did not compete in track after his freshman year. Bobby Cline married Nancy Coyne of Temple in 1958 while a student at Texas Tech. After college Bobby worked as a construction superintendent in Lubbock (until 1968) and in the Burleson/Ft. Worth area building fast food restaurants (i.e., McDonalds, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut). Bobby died of an aortic aneurysm on Memorial Day, 2000, at the age of 62. His survivors in 2001 include his sister, Myrna Cline Baker, of Abilene TX; his widow, Nancy Coyne Cline, and his children, Craig Cline, 40, Steve Cline, 38, and Cadi Cline Reid, 33, all of Burleson. His grandchildren are Doug Cline, 18, Stephanie Cline, 21, Lindsay Cline, 9, Emily Reid, 6, Abby Reid, 5, and Sarah Reid, 1, all of Burleson. Jarrell Hayes grew up in Belton and, like many young boys, had a lot of dreams. He dreamed of being on a state championship team; of leading his team to a national championship; and of marrying the Homecoming Queen. But for Jarrell all three of those dreams came true before his 21th birthday. He was a 6'2" Sr. forward on the 1958 Tiger basketball team that won the state AA championship and, as a 19-yr-old soph QB at Texas A & I, led his team to the NAIA national championship by throwing three touchdown passes in a 20-7 victory over Lenior Rhyne of NC . In 1959 he married his high school sweetheart, Peggy Ann Carpenter, who had been the 1957 Tiger Homecoming Queen. Jarrell was an All-District quarterback on both the 1956 Tiger football team that was 9-1 and lost to Brady, 24-7, in Bi-District, and the 1957 Tiger team that was 10-0 and lost to Brady, 7-6, in Bi-District (Brady went on to the state finals in 1957, losing to Stamford). He was also an all-district linebacker on defense in his senior year. Hayes was a back-up forward on the Tiger basketball team that won state in 1958 but was on the floor (All-tournament soph Richard Inman had fouled out) grabbing key rebounds during the memorable comeback in the double-overtime final game against New London when the Tigers came back from 8 points down with 2 & ½ minutes left in the game. Jarrell won 2nd place in the District in the discus throw in his junior and senior years and played catcher and LF on the Tiger baseball team. He was the team’s leading hitter as a senior with a .404 batting average (.429 in seven district games). Not surprisingly, he was voted the most athletic boy of his senior class, won the Rylander Cup for Belton’s Most Outstanding Male Athlete, and was voted the most outstanding senior back at BHS. Jarrell Hayes was the starting quarterback for Texas A & I for three years. Charlie Williams, Belton’s top senior lineman in 1957, joined Jarrell at A&I and the two played together for four years. They were joined in 1961 by Jarrell’s younger brother, Calvin, a 235 lb tackle, who played for the Javelinas thru1963. The three were part of a long list of ex-Belton boys who played at A&I (three are on the Belton Wall of Honor: Benny Bloomer, Jarrell Hayes, Charlie Williams ). In Jarrell’s soph year of 1959 the Javelinas were 12-1 on the year and won the Lone Star Conference championship and the NAIA national championship with a 20-7 victory over Lenoir Rhyne. Hayes threw three touchdown passes (for 31, 57, and 77 yards) in the championship game. In 1960 the team was 8-1-1 and won the Great Southwest Bowl game in Grand Prairie. The 1961 team was 7-2-0. Jarrell was named 1st team All-LSC and 1st team Texas All-College in 1960 & 1961. He completed 33 passes for 606 yards as a soph.; 42 passes for 622 yards as a junior; and 43 passes for 639 yards as a senior for a team that relied heavily upon the running game. He was later inducted into the Texas A & I Athletic Hall of Fame (a plaque honoring Hayes is displayed at the Athletic Dept.). Jarrell graduated from Texas A&I in 1962 with a BBA in Business Administration and began his business career after turning down several offers by pro football teams (e.g., the Houston Oilers of the AFL) to attend their training camps. The successes of Jarrell Hayes did not end with his famed college football career. He moved to Houston and became a “Texas oilman,” heading several companies involved in the marketing and manufacturing of pipeline machinery. Until his retirement in 2000 he traveled extensively throughout the world for his multi-national oil company (LOR, Inc.) that manufactured oil tool equipment serving the oil and gas drilling industry worldwide. In 2001, Jarrell Hayes, 61, and Peggy lived in a lakefront home in Livingston, Texas, and still visit Belton where several relatives live and where three generations of his family are buried. Belton’s Charlie Williams was named as a first team guard on the AA all-state selected by the Waco Times Herald after his senior year of football at Belton High School in 1957. Though an “undersized” lineman at 185 lbs., he went on to play at Texas A & I during a period when the team won one national (NAIA) championship and two Lone Star Conference championships. Charles Williams was born on Feb. 12, 1940, in Aquilla, TX, to Cecil and Dorothy Williams. He and his older sister Bobbye Gayle, were raised in Aquilla and Birome, TX, and attended elementary school in Birome and Penelope TX. The family moved to Belton in 1954 when Charlie was a freshman. He played on the Tiger JV football team as a soph and, as a junior in 1956, was a starting guard on Belton’s 9-2 District Championship team which lost 24-7 to Brady in Bi-District. Charlie Williams was voted the outstanding senior lineman on the 1957 Tiger team that was undefeated (10-0) in the regular season and lost to Brady 7-6 in Bi-District. Charlie and Jarrell Hayes were voted as co-captains by their teammates and Charlie was named 1st team all-district. He was the only Belton boy selected to the 1957 Super Centex Squad named by the Waco Times Herald (the other three guards were from Waco High and Mart). The Waco Times Herald also selected Charlie Williams, 5'10" & 168 lbs., as a guard on its first team AA all-state team announced on Dec. 18, 1957. The newspaper noted that though Williams “was not a big boy” he was “a fierce blocker and bonejarring defensive player” who was “credited with 26 tackles in one Belton victory.” Forty years later former coach Joe Pirtle still uses Charlie Williams as an example of a Tiger athlete who made the most of his ability and succeeded, despite his physical limitations, by sheer effort. Charlie graduated from Belton H.S. in 1958. Charlie Williams and Jarrell Hayes, the 1957 Belton co-captains, were recruited by Texas A&I and played together for the Javelinas for four years (1958-1962). They were joined in 1960 by Jarrell’s younger brother, Calvin, a 235 lb tackle, who played for the Javelinas thru1963. The three were part of a long list of ex-Belton boys who played at A&I for Coach Gil Steinke. Four are on the Belton Wall of Honor: Benny Bloomer, Jarrell Hayes, Charlie Williams and Bryan Sweeney. A&I was 12-1 and Lone Star Conference Champions in 1959 and went on to win the national NAIA championship with a 20-7 victory over Lenoir Rhyne with soph Hayes as the starting QB and soph Williams as a back-up lineman. Though he weighed only 185 lbs. and was much smaller than his opponents, Charlie Williams started at guard for Texas A&I in his junior year when the Javelinas were 8-1-1 (and won the Great Southwest Bowl game in Grand Prairie) and was named the top lineman on the “Wild Pig” line after scoring highest on a point system used to rate performance. He also started as a senior for the 1961 A&I team that was 7-2 on the year. Though “undersized,” Williams was known for his explosive “first move” and for his toughness and quickness. Williams graduated from Texas A&I in May of 1963 with a degree in Business Admin. He served four years (1963-1967) as a Lt./Capt. in the U.S. Army in Hawaii (most of that time with the 25th Infantry Div) and volunteered for a 3-month term in VietNam. Upon his discharge from the Army he returned to Kingsville to complete his M.A. in Business Admin. from Texas A&I and then enrolled at Vanderbilt Law School in 1967 and graduated with a J.D. in 1970. Williams worked for 18 months for a law firm in Kingsport TN after graduation and then practiced in Kingsville from 1971-1986 with the law firm of Gulsing, Sharpe, Villareal, and Williams. He had his own law firm in San Antonio from 1986 until his untimely death at the age of 50 on Sept. 1, 1990. Charles met Nancy Yates of AL while in the Army and the couple married in Dec. of 1965. In 2001 Charles Williams was survived by his wife, Nancy, of Boerne, TX; his children, Lara Williams, a teacher in Leander, and Charles (Chip) Williams, a teacher in S. Korea; and his sister, Bobbye Gayle Watson, of West, TX. Billy Wilbanks, the valedictorian of the Class of 1958, was Belton’s first all-state basketball player and was the leading scorer on the Tiger basketball team that won the state AA championship in 1958. He was a university professor in Florida and nationally known crime expert until he retired to Belton in 1999. William Lee (Billy) Wilbanks was born on May 30, 1940, in Temple TX to DeLay and Wilma Garner Wilbanks and was the 2nd of 3 children. Billy’s ancestors came to Belton in the 1870's and past Tiger teams included his uncle, Ralph Wilbanks (1921); father, DeLay Wilbanks (1925); step-father, Nelson Hander (1925); cousin, Dan Martin (1956); and brothers, Bobby (1957) and Jimmy (1959). Billy attended Tyler Elementary, Belton Jr. High and Belton H.S. He was a two-time district champion in the 880-yard dash and came within one second of the district record as a junior in 1957 with a time of 2:06.6 (breaking the school record of 2:08 by Ken Chatwin in 1953) and finished 4th in the region. He won district as a senior in 2:08.3 and again was 4th in the regional meet at San Marcos. He was also a two-time district champion in junior boys singles in tennis as a freshman and soph; was runner-up in district in senior boys singles as a junior and senior; and, at 15, was runner-up in the area-wide Caswell Tennis Center Tournament (with 48 entries) in Austin in 1956. In basketball, the 5'10" 125 lb. Wilbanks was a sophomore starter (with 4 seniors) on the 1956 Tiger team that won district and was defeated in the Regional Tournament. As a junior in 1957 he averaged 21 ppg and was all-district and 2nd team Super-Centex (by the Waco Times Herald) on the Tiger team that was 19-7 (10-2) and finished 2nd in the district. He became the first Tiger to average over 20 ppg and had a high game of 36 against Georgetown (breaking the school record of 33 by Ken Ward in 1955 & 1956). The 5'11" 135 lb. Wilbanks averaged 21.6 ppg (with a
high game of 36) as a senior and led Belton to the 1958 State AA championship.
The Tigers were 23-8 (12-0) on the year and defeated Seminole 76-66 in the state
semi-finals and New London 58-56 in double/sudden death overtime in the finals.
Wilbanks scored 29 points against Seminole and 14 against New London and (after
hitting only 2 of 20 shots earlier) hit five straight baskets in the last 2 & ½
minutes of regulation and the 1st overtime of the New London game to bring
Belton back from an 8-point deficit. Billy was noted for his
behind-the-back dribble and for his “long distance” shooting in an era before
the 3-point shot. He was named 1st team Super-Centex; 2nd team AA
all-state by the Texas Sportswriters; 1st team All-State by the Waco Times
Herald; and 1st team AA All-State-Tournament. He started for the South in
the Texas H.S. Coaches All-Star Game (finishing 4th in the MVP voting); started
for Texas in the Texas vs. Oklahoma All-Star (Oil Bowl) Game; and was named to
the Wigwam Wisemen H.S. All-American team.
Dr. Wilbanks retired in 1999 and returned to Belton where he organized the Belton basketball reunion in 2001; wrote weekly articles (“A Tiger to Remember”) for the Belton Journal; and built the Belton H.S. Athletic Wall of Honor. He recently published, Texas High School Track Champions, 1906-2006 and is currently researching a book entitled, Texas High School Basketball Champions, 1921-2006. Wilbanks remained active in sports in his senior years winning the 50-55 tennis championship at the state-wide 1991 Florida Sunshine Games and basketball shooting contests at the Texas Senior Olympics. At the age of 61 he had a personal best of 24 straight & 39 of 40 three-point shots in his daily practice sessions. Bernard Bartek was an All-State tackle as a senior in 1958 and, after his senior season at TCU in 1962, played in the North-South Shrine college all-star game. He was named an all-SWC guard becoming only the second ex-Belton football player to make all SWC (Earl Wayne Miller was the first in 1957) in football. Bernard was an outstanding all-around athlete (and
four sport letterman) at Belton High School from 1956-57 to 1958-59. As a
senior in 1959 he placed 2nd in the shotput and 3rd in the discus at the
District track meet. He was a 3-year starter on the Tiger baseball team as
a third baseman and pitcher as the Tigers won district and bi-district in his
soph year and went to the regional finals in his senior season. He was the
Tiger’s top pitcher as a junior but an injury hampered his pitching as a senior.
He was also one of the team’s leading hitters. Bernard was a
three-year starter as a 6'2" guard in basketball and was the Tigers’ 3rd leading
scorer as a soph on a 19-7 team that finished second in district. As a
junior he was a starting guard on the 1958 state championship team and made the
shot that tied the score at 50-50 with 53 seconds left in the championship game
against New London. As a senior he was captain and a starter on the
29-4 Belton team that beat district opponents by an average of 50 points per
game but was beaten 63-60 by state champ Buna in the region.
Bartek was recruited by TCU, Texas, A&M, Rice Baylor, SMU and the U. of Houston and signed with TCU where he started as a 190 lb. guard and linebacker for the 1959 freshman team. As a 230 lb. soph in 1960 he played on the same line as (future) Dallas Cowboy all-pro Bob Lilly and, as a junior in 1961, started on the Frog team that upset No. 2 Kansas (with Gayle Sayers) 17-16, tied highly ranked Ohio State 7-7, and upset No. 1 Texas 6-0, costing the Longhorns the national championship. Against Kansas Bartek blocked a FG attempt to preserve the victory and made a saving tackle at the 2-yard line against Texas. As a senior in 1962 Bartek was voted lineman of the week by the Frog Club for his play in a 28-26 victory over Baylor and was called “the most under-rated football player in the SWC” by Ft. Worth Star Telegram editor Bill Van Fleet. He was named All-SWC by the Dallas Morning News after TCU’s 6-4 season and played in the Shriners’ North-South College all-star game in Miami where he played on the South team with future All-Pro Baltimore receiver Willie Richardson and against future All-Pro Kansas City LB Bobby Bell. Bernard received a BBA degree from TCU in 1966 and served two years in the U.S. Army in 1967-1969. He was the pitcher for the Ft. McLellan AL post championship fastpitch softball team in 1967 (the team was runner-up in 1968). Bernard later took courses required for accounting at UTA and worked as an accountant for 30 years in the Ft. Worth area. In 2001 Bernard, 60, is semi-retired working as a Ft. Worth ISD substitute teacher (his wife is also a teacher), preparing clients’ tax returns, and maintaining his rental properties in Ft. Worth and Aledo. He married Suzanne Herring of Houston in 1966 and the couple has two children. Their daughter, Tracie Bartek Digilormo, 32, and her children, Tarah, 15, and Devin, 10, live in Aledo. Their son, Clinton Bartek, 20, lives in Ft. Worth and attends UTA. Clinton “matched” his father’s 1958 state championship as he was a starting all-district guard on the 1998 Aledo Bearcats Div. 1 AAA State Championship football team. Richard Inman was perhaps the greatest athlete in the history of Belton High School as his feats from 1957-1960 are unparalleled in Belton’s history. Richard was all-state in three sports (football, basketball and track) as both a junior and senior and was a high school All-American in two sports (track and football) as a senior. He was the first Texas boy to break 60 feet in the shotput and was national high school shotput champion as a senior. He won the Big Eight in the shotput as a soph and senior and placed 3rd in 1962 and 5th in 1964 at the NCAA meet to qualify as an NCAA All-American. Richard Inman was born on Nov. 7, 1941, in Ft. Worth TX to J.B. and Elma Inman and is the oldest of three children (Richard, Joseph and Ann). He was raised in Michigan, Ft. Worth and Killeen before moving to Belton in the 8th grade. As a 6'0" 185 lb. soph Inman was all-district at end in football, won district in the shotput (49'-6" ), and was the second leading scorer (15 ppg), honorable mention All-Centex & 1st team all-state tournament for the Tiger basketball team which won the state AA championship in 1958. As a junior Inman was named 1st team all-state at end by the Waco Tribune-Herald after the 1958 Tiger football team was 6-2-3 on the year losing to Brady in Bi-District. He was 1st team all-state in basketball as he averaged 22.6 ppg on the Tiger team which was 28-4 and lost to Buna in overtime in the regional. He was also the state runner-up in the shotput (55' 5") as a junior. Richard was a catcher on the Tiger baseball team, hit over .300 as a junior, and was considered a pro baseball prospect. As a senior the 6' 0" 195 lb. Inman was again 1st team all-state in basketball though he was only the 3rd leading scorer (12.6 ppg) for the talent-laden and well-balanced 1960 Tigers (35-6) who lost to Dimmitt and Clear Creek at the state tournament despite Inman’s 17 point average in the two games. Belton upset perennial state champ Buna in the regional giving Buna its only loss in 29 regional and state tournament games between 1955-1963. Inman was named again to the AA all-state tournament team and was named 1st team AA all-state at end by the Coaches Association after the 10-1 Tiger football team was ranked as high as #3 in TX before losing to Brady in Bi-District. He was also named to the Super-All State (top 11 boys in TX regardless of size of school) and All-American teams (he was one of only 6 TX players on one H.S. All-American team) as a senior and played in the Texas H.S. Coaches All-Star game and the Texas-Oklahoma H.S. all-star game. He was one of the top football recruits in TX before signing with the O.U. where he was named the outstanding freshman on the Sooner freshman team in 1960. A knee injury ended Richard’s football career after his soph year when he was a starting end for the Sooners. Inman’s most lasting legacy was in track as in 1960 as a senior he became the first TX boy to throw the shotput over 60 feet and won the state AA shotput championship with a throw of 62'8" (breaking a 10-year old state record by almost 3 feet) and the discus championship (160' 1") leading the Waco Times-Herald to assert that Inman “reached the heights of such schoolboy greats as Charles Parker, J. Frank Daugherty and Eddie O. Southern” (legendary TX H.S. track stars of the 1940's and 1950's). Richard went on to win the national H.S. shotput championship at the Golden West Invitational Track Meet in California with a toss of 62'11". While at Oklahoma Richard, at only 6'1 215 lbs., won the Big Eight shotput championship as a soph and senior (he was injured as a junior) and had a career best of 61'11" in the college shot and 188' in the discus. Richard finished 3rd in the NCAA meet as a soph and 5th as a senior to qualify as an All-American for both years (1962 and 1964) and, in 2001, still has the 4th best all-time shotput mark at O.U. Inman received a pharmacy degree from OU in 1965 and returned to Belton where he owned and operated Inman Pharmacy in Belton for several years. He served as a voluntary coach for the Tiger track team in the 1970's and helped develop two state champions (Tim Brown and Kelly Brooks). He also served on the Belton school board in the 1980's. Richard married fellow 1960 B.H.S graduate Jane Sandlin and the couple had three children (Wade, Kerri, and Bert). Both of his sons were pitchers for O.U. and Bert played minor league baseball in the Yankee organization. In 2001 Richard and Jane Inman lived in Salado. Dale West was the dominate “inside” player on what are arguably the three best basketball teams in the history of Belton High School: the 1958 State AA championship team, the 1959 team that was 29-4 and the 1960 team that was 35-6 and lost in the state semi-finals to Dimmitt. He was 2nd team all-state as a senior and played in the Texas H.S. Coaches All-star game and later at the University of Texas. Dale West is the son of Emmit and Clara West and he and his older brother, Mack, were raised in Belton attending Tyler Elementary School, Belton Jr. H.S. and Belton High School where Dale graduated in 1960. His father was Coach Mack Birtchet’s partner in the cattle business. Dale’s athletic skills were not limited to basketball as he was a starting tackle/end on the Tiger football team as a junior (he did not play as a senior) and was a three-year starter at first base for the Tiger baseball team. He led the 1959 Tiger team that lost in the regional in home runs and RBI’s. In his senior season he was the team’s top pitcher and led the team in hitting (over .500), home runs, RBI’s and hits. In 1957 he played on a Babe Ruth League All-Star team made up of players from Belton, Moody and Holland that was beaten in the state finals by Austin whose pitcher, Ray Culp, went on to win 20 games in one major league season for the Philadelphia Phillies. Belton was only 6-8 before District play began in 1958 but then won 17 straight games to win the state AA championship. It was no coincidence that the team “took off” once Dale became the starter at center in the third district game. Though he started only 14 games he still scored 350 points on the year for an average of 11.3 per game and was the team’s leading rebounder and third leading scorer. He scored 10 points and had 16 rebounds in the championship game against New London and grabbed the key rebounds that allowed the Tigers to come back from an 8 point deficit in the last 2 & ½ minutes of the game. As a junior Dale’s 14 ppg was second to Richard Inman’s 22 ppg for the 29-4 Tiger team that defeated its district opponents by an average of 50 points a game but was beaten in the region by Buna. He scored 36 points against Cameron to break the school single game scoring record of 36. Dale was named All-Super-Centex by the Waco Times Herald and honorable mention all-state. As a senior Dale was Belton’s leading scorer at 15.7 ppg (612 points in 39 games) and was the 4th leading scorer in Central Texas according to the Waco Times Herald which listed six Tigers (West, Dennis Watson, Richard Inman, Bill Ward, Willie Garner and Neal Chaney) as scoring over 250 points on the year. The 1960 team was very well balanced with 4 players who made all-state in 1960 (West and Inman) or 1961 (Bill Ward and Neal Chaney), a fifth starter (Watson) who played in college, and had two substitutes (Garner and Chuck Fath) who were later the leading scorer for Temple Junior College. Dale and the other starters played only half the game in the numerous “blowouts.” Dale had a personal best of 30 rebounds against Rosebud though he played little more than half the game and had high point games of 35 against Lampasas and 32 against South Houston. Dale played in the Texas H.S. Coaches All-Star game and was recruited by several Division 1 universities including Baylor TCU and Texas. He signed with Texas and was the 2nd leading scorer and leading rebounder on the UT freshman basketball team and hit .300 for the UT freshman baseball team. Dale was “redshirted” as a soph and decided to end his playing career before his junior year to concentrate on his work toward a degree in pharmacy. West was an A student in H.S. and graduated from U.T. in 1965 with a degree in Pharmacy. He owned and operated West Pharmacy in Mineral Wells for 30 years (1968-1995). Dale married Helen Loerwald in 1965 and the couple has three children, Roger Dale West, Jr., of Proctor TX; Denise West Moffat of Wichita Falls; and Debbie West Hickley of Cheyene WY; and two grandchildren, David Douglas Moffat and Benjamin Dale Moffat. In 2001 Dale, 59, and Helen ran a ranch outside Mineral Wells that specialized in embryo transfer. Randy Winkler was a “late bloomer” as he was only a 2nd team all-district and honorable mention SuperCentex tackle for the 1960 Belton Tigers but later was a two-time Texas All-College and honorable mention NAIA All-American end at Tarleton State College. He is one of only three ex-Tigers to be included in his university’s Athletic Hall of Fame and one of three ex-Tigers to play in the NFL. Randolph Stanley Winkler was born on July 18, 1943, in Temple TX to Paul A. and Ruth Winkler. His grandfather, Ernst Winkler, and two brothers came to Texas from Germany in 1859 and the Winkler family has lived in the Grove/Moffat area of Bell County for over 142 years. Randy was the oldest of three children (Randy, Rodney, and Janell) and attended St. Paul Lutheran School in The Grove, Belton Jr. H.S., and Belton H.S., graduating in 1961. He threw the shotput and discus on the Tiger track team in addition to playing football. Randy was a 190 lb. soph tackle in 1958 on the 6-2-3 Tiger team that won district and lost to Brady 26-14 in Bi-District. He was a 6'1" 206 lb. starting tackle as a junior in 1959 on the 10-1 Tiger team under Coach John Hugh Smith that was ranked no. 3 in Texas before losing to Brady 66-8 in bi-district. Randy was named 2nd team all-district although he played most of the year with a cast on his broken hand. Randy was a 6'1" 210 lb. senior tackle on the 1960 Belton team under first-year Coach Cedric Bettis that played the school’s first year in 3-A and finished the year at 3-7. Randy was named the team’s most outstanding lineman; 2nd team all-district ; and was honorable mention Super-Centex by the Waco Times-Herald. Winkler was offered a football scholarship by Oklahoma University and several smaller schools and signed with Tarleton State University in Stephenville where he played for 4 years (1963-1966) after “redshirting” during the 1962 season. Randy grew to 6'4" & 240 lbs by the beginning of the 1963 season and became known at Tarleton as “The Jolly Green Giant” because of his “broad smile” and size. He was voted the varsity’s outstanding lineman as a freshman tackle. As a soph in 1964 he was named a tri-captain of the team after starting on both offense and defense and was named by the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram to the Texas All-College team (for NAIA and NCAA Div. II) at DE and NAIA #8 All-District at OT. As a junior in 1965 he was voted the team’s MVP; was again named Texas All-College at DE; and was honorable mention NAIA All-American. As a senior the 6'4" & 250 lb. Winkler was moved to tight end and outside LB and was the only two-way (offense and defense) player on the 1966 Tarleton team that was 7-3 on the year (the first winning record since Tarleton became a 4-year college in 1961) and defeated a team of Mexican all-stars 42-8 in the Aztec Bowl in Mexico City’s Olympic Stadium. Winkler was again (1973) named honorable mention (NAIA) All-American. Winkler was selected in the 12th round of the 1966 NFL draft by the Detroit Lions (and by the AFL’s Miami Dolphins) and played OT and OG at 6'5" and 255 lbs. with the 5-7 Lions during the 1967 season alongside NFL greats Lem Barney and Alex Karras. He played during the 1968 season with the 2-12 Atlanta Falcons (with Tommy Nobis). Randy, a member of the Navy Reserve, was called to active duty for two years (including the 1969 and 1970 seasons) and was assigned as an assistant football coach at the Naval Academy on a staff that included five (later) pro head coaches (Rick Forzano, Joe Bugel, Leeman Bennett, Frank Gansz and Jim Stanley). After his discharge from active duty Randy returned to the NFL and played with the 4-8 Green Bay Packers (with Ray Nitschke and Bart Starr) for the 1971 season before ending his 3-year pro career. Randy Winkler graduated from Tarleton State in 1967 with a degree in physical education and biology and worked as District Sales Manager for Atlantic Steele for 4 years before beginning a 26-year career (as a salesman, Sales Manager and VP of Sales) with S & S Industries. He has resided in the Nashville TN area since 1978 and is divorced with no children. He was inducted into the Tarleton State University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1981 and is one of only 3 ex-Tigers (with Joe Barnes & Jarrell Hayes) in a collegiate Hall of Fame and one of 3-ex Tigers (with Ricky Sanders and Booker Russell) to play in the NFL. Bill Ward is one of only two ex-Tiger basketball players to ever make 1st team all-state (the other was Richard Inman in 1959 & 1960) and was voted the top senior athlete at Belton High School in 1961 and the top senior athlete at S.M.U. in 1965 after leading the Mustangs to the co-championship of the Southwest Conference as a senior. He is one of only three ex-Tigers to make All-SWC. William Charles “Bill” Ward was born in Greenville TX on Sept. 3, 1942, to J.T. and Hazel Ward and was the second of three children (Ken, Bill and Betty). His older brother, Ken, was Belton’s leading scorer in 1956 as a 6'6" center and still holds the school record for most points (33) in a playoff game. Bill moved from Florence to Belton in the second grade and attended Tyler Elementary School, Belton Jr. H.S. and Belton H.S., graduating in 1961. He was named Belton’s top athlete in 1960 for his prowess in basketball and track where he was a high jumper and ran the 440-yd dash and mile relay (which set a district record at 3:33.2 in 1961) on the Tiger track team. He was also president of the Student Council and a member of the National Honor Society (he was in the top 10% of his class) and a representative to Boys State. As a 6'5" soph Bill was the top sub on the 1959 Tiger basketball team that was 29-4 on the year and lost to Buna in overtime in the region. He was a starter (averaging about 10 ppg) as a guard on the “greatest ever” Tiger team of 1960 which was 35-6 and was beaten in the semi-finals of the state tournament by Dimmitt. In his senior year, the 1961 Tigers (who moved up to 3-A) were 26-3 (the best percentage season record of any team in Belton history) and were co-champs of District but lost to Killeen in a District playoff game. During his three years Belton was 90-13—the best 3-year record in school history. Bill averaged 18 points a game on the year even though he played only 2/3 of most games that were “blowouts.”. Ward was called by several newspapers the “tallest guard in Texas” and was named to the Texas Sportswriters All-State 1st team in 1961. He played in the Texas Coaches Association All-Star game in 1961 and tied for high point man (with 12) for the South team in a 67-57 loss to the North team. Ward was recruited by more than 30 schools including Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, LSU, TCU, Houston, Rice and SMU and signed with SMU. He was a 3-year starter for the Mustangs who finished 5th in the SWC in his soph and junior years and were co-champions in his senior year. SMU beat Texas in a one game playoff (led by Ward’s 26 points & 10 rebounds) and lost to Wichita State (which lost to champion UCLA at the Final Four) in the NCAA Tournament. Bill averaged 7.4 points (and 4.0 rebounds) per game in 24 games as soph; 6.9 points (and 4.0 rebounds) in 24 games as a junior; and 14.5 points (and 7.1 rebounds) per game in 27 games as a senior. For his 3-year career he averaged 9.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game in 75 games and shot 43% from the field & 75% from the free throw line. Ward was voted Co-captain of the 1965 SMU basketball team and was named the outstanding senior athlete at SMU for 1964-1965. The Waco Times-Herald named Ward 2nd team All-SWC and listed him as the SWC’s 10th leading scorer for the season (14.5 ppg) and for conference play (15.4 ppg) making him only the third ex-Tiger (with Earl Wayne Miller and Bernard Bartek) to make All-SWC. Ward was given the Bobby James scholarship award for graduate school (he worked toward an MA in business at SMU) and graduated from SMU in 1965 with a degree in business. After college Ward trained in NYC as a stockbroker and became a money manager in the 1970's. In 2001 Bill Ward, 58, was president of Regal Asset Management and lived in Dallas with his wife Cindy. Their two children, are Will, 25, of Boston, and Katy, 22, of Dallas. Ward established a family foundation that supports many community organizations including the Ward Campus (athletic fields and a double gym) of the Shelton School which serves over 800 children with learning problems. Bill and Cindy also started a Dallas Chapter of Gilda’s Club to support families with cancer victims and support research at Boston Children’s Hospital. Richard Stark was a four-sport star and all-state halfback in 1961 for Belton and later played at SMU where he was voted the team’s top offensive back as a junior in 1964. He died in 1979 at the age of 35. Richard Alan Stark was born on Oct. 11, 1943, in Belton TX to H.G. (Jack) and Jessie Lee (Sugie) Stark. He was the youngest of four children (Dolores, Charles, Linda and Richard) and attended Tyler Elementary School, Belton Jr. H.S. and Belton H.S. where he was a 4-sport star and a member of the Marching Hundred Band and graduated in 1962. In his junior track season (1961) Richard was 2nd in both the 100-yd. and 220-yd dashes at the district meet to teammate George Wilhite and ran on the winning (44.6) 440-yd relay team of Stark, Wilhite, Clois Clark and Chuck Fath and the winning mile relay team with Stark, Wilhite, Fath and Melvin Blair. At the regional meet the Tiger track team finished 3rd in the team competition and Richard placed 6th in the 100-yd dash and his 440-yd relay team finished 2nd (43.06) and his mile relay team was 3rd (3:27.1). Richard did not run track in his senior season as he focused on baseball where he was one of the top pitchers (with a won/lost record of 2-1) on the Tiger team under Coach Royce Boren that was third in district (at 6-4) and 11-5 on the year. Richard was a soph sub on the “greatest ever” Tiger basketball team of 1960 that was 35-6 on the year and was defeated in the state semifinals by Dimmitt. He was also a top sub (usually as a defensive specialist) as a junior in 1961 on the Tiger team that was 26-3 and as a senior on the 1962 Tiger team that was 23-4. In football Richard was a 2nd team all-district HB/DB as a 5'9" 145 lb. soph on the 1959 team that was 10-1 on the year and lost 66-8 to Brady in Bi-District. He was a starting halfback as a 6'0" 155 lb. junior on the 1960 team that (in Belton’s first year in 3-A) was 3-7 on the year under 1st year Coach Cedric Bettis. He was a 160 lb. senior HB on the 1961 Tiger team that was 9-0-1 on the year and ranked 11th in the state a year’s end. The “Cinderella” Tigers, picked to finish fourth in the District, tied for the District championship but lost the right to represent the District in the playoffs due to fewer penetrations in a 0-0 tie against Cleburne in Cleburne. As a 5'11 170 lb. senior HB the versatile Stark rushed for 1,005 yards (a 7.39 per carry average); returned 12 points for 327 yards and 27.2 average; returned 8 kickoffs for 45-yd average; caught 10 passes for a 29-yd average; completed four of six pass attempts for 79 yards; and scored 138 points on the season (leading Central Texas in that category). During the year he scored on an 88-yard punt return against Lampasas, an 80-yard kickoff return and an 80-yard pass play against Stephenville and scored 4 TD’s (from 12, 15, 15, and 7 yards) in his final game against Waco University. Stark, who was the “fastest runner in Central Texas” (with 10.2 speed in the 100-yd dash), was also considered a “great” defensive back. In his senior year he was voted the top Tiger back; 1st team all-district; 1st team All-Centex by the Waco Times-Herald; 1st team 3-A all-state; 1st team Blue Chip Back by Dave Campbell’s 1961 Texas Football; and Wigwam Wisemen & Parade H.S. All-American. Richard went to SMU on a football scholarship and starred on the undefeated freshman team as a 6'0" 167 lb. halfback and receiver (he was also President of SMU’s freshman class). He led the Colts in touchdowns and was 2nd in scoring and in pass completions. He started as a defensive back on the SMU varsity as a soph. As a junior he played both offense and defense and won the Red Stallion Award as the team’s top offensive back as he “figured in almost every statistical category” (e.g., was team’s 2nd leading rusher with 172 yards and caught 13 passes for 120 yards) and returned kickoffs and punts. He graded highest on the team as an offensive back in two games and as a defensive back in three games. He was injured for much of his senior year but was a starter as a defensive back. He was not drafted by the NFL but was invited by the Cowboys and Steelers to their training camps. Stark graduated from SMU in 1966, married in 1969, had a child, Chad, in 1972, and divorced in 1976. He worked for Ford Motor Co. in Dallas and Norfolk VA before moving to Houston to work in real estate and for Shell Oil. Richard Stark died on Feb. 7, 1979, at the age of 35. Bob Sewell became the smallest Tiger to make All-State in basketball when the 5'9" Sr guard made the 3-A All-State team in 1966. Since Bob graduated no Belton boy (in 35 years) has started on two District Championship teams in his last two seasons. He was also the District medalist in golf for two years. Bob was the only sophomore on the 1964 Tiger basketball team (Belton’s first year in 3-A) that was 9-18 (3-9) under Coach Jack Worthington (who replaced the legendary Coach Mac Birtchet after the 1963 season) and was the 6th leading scorer on the team as an alternate starter. In Bob’s junior season the 1965 Tigers (12-16, 5-3) finished the regular season in a 3-way tie for the championship of District 13-3A and won a playoff over Gatesville and Lampasas for the title. The Tigers under Coach Jerry Blankenship were defeated 88-60 in Bi-District by (eventual) state 3-A champion San Marcos which had won District for 13 of the previous 14 years and defeated West Orange by 28 points and Waxahachie by 24 in the state tournament). Sewell was the 2nd leading scorer (behind Larry Stewart’s 13 ppg) as he averaged 11 ppg as a junior. He and Stewart were named 1st team All-District. In Bob’s senior season the 1966 Tigers, who defeated the 4-A Temple Wildcats three times in pre-district play, were 19-9 (8-0) and won the North Zone Championship of District 13-3A. The Tigers were defeated 75-53 in Bi-District by the “towering” San Antonio Sam Houston Cherokees who finished the year at 27-4 after losing in the regional. Bob, a lefty known for his “long distance” shooting (in an era before the 3-point shot), was the leading scorer for the 1966 Tigers at 16.8 ppg on the year (with a high of 29 points) but averaged 18 ppg in pre-district games before opponents began double-teaming him forcing him to become more of a playmaker than scorer (leading to his 13.9 ppg during District). Bob was named to the 3rd team 3-A All-state team at the end of the 1966 season. Bob Sewell was also an outstanding golfer and won medalist honors (i.e., 1st place) at the District meet and 4th in the region (just missing a trip to state) as a junior with a 36-hole score of 69-79=148. As a senior he again won 1st place in District (with a 27-hole score of 110) and again went to the regional tournament. He won several local high school and Jaycee golf tournaments as a youth. Bob Sewell was an outstanding student at Belton H.S. and was named “Mr. Personality” and President of his Senior Class. He graduated from the University of Texas in 1970 with a degree in finance and worked as a national bank examiner from 1972-1974. He moved to Belton in 1974 and was a VP at Peoples National Bank from 1974-1979. As a board member of the Belton Chamber of Commerce he helped organize the 1976 Fourth of July (Bi-Centennial) celebration. In 1979 Bob founded the Equitable Bank in Dallas, serving as president and later as chairman of the bank before selling it to Compass Banks in 1996. Bob stayed on with Compass Bank for 4 years starting the SBA Lending Division (which became the 7th largest SBA program in the nation by 2000). Bob Sewell is the son of Dr. Harvey and Charlene
Sewell who moved to Belton from Wills Point in 1939 to open (with his brother,
Dr. Julian Sewell) the Sewell Clinic which served Belton as the Sewell-Long
Clinic until the mid-1980's. His mother, Charlene, operated the
Salado Galleries in the 1960's and 1970's.
Robert Evans, a 5'10" 168 lbs. end, was named all-state by the Texas Sportswriters Association after the 1966 season becoming Belton High School’s first Afro-American all-state athlete. He was a 3-year starter at DB at the University of Texas at Arlington where he still holds a school record for most interceptions in a game. Robert Evans was born on Oct. 29, 1948, in Belton to Robert and Ida Mae Evans and was raised in Belton with two younger siblings, Richard (QB for BHS in 1975) and Rodney. Robert attended the Harris School thru his junior year and was an all-district offensive and defensive end in football for the Dragons. Robert transferred to Belton H.S. for his senior year of 1966-1967 when Harris H.S. closed in May of 1966 and BHS was integrated. He lettered in football, basketball and track at Belton H.S. and was the third leading scorer (at 7 ppg) for the 1967 Tiger basketball team under Coach Jerry Blankenship that was led by Tommy Grant, Belton’s all-time leading scorer (at 24.9 ppg), and was 11-13 on the year and 2nd in the district (at 6-2). In track Robert ran for Coach Bob McFarland’s Tigers on the 440-yard relay team (of Agrippin Rodriguez, Evans, Robert Ford and Jimmy Barnes) that finished 6th at the District 13-AAA track meet in New Braunfels. He also ran on the Tigers’ mile relay team and in the 220-yard dash and broad jumped. Robert was a 5'10" 168 lb. end on the 1966 Tiger team that was 5-5 in Coach Spike Dykes’ only year as the Tiger head coach (Dykes was later head coach at Texas Tech). Evans was described by newspapers as “one of the top ten pass receivers in Class 3-A in the state” and the Temple Daily Telegram reported that he was Belton’s leading receiver for the year with 21 receptions for 495 yards for an average of 23.5 yards per catch (an amazing average and perhaps the best in school history). Robert also led the team in scoring with nine TD’s for 54 points. Soph Robert Ford was Belton’s leading rusher with 591 yards, 2nd leading receiver with 134 yards and 2nd leading scorer with 38 points. Evan’s had two TD receptions (for 37 and 75 yards) in a 34-7 victory over New Braunfels and caught a 20-yd TD pass in a 12-0 upset over arch rival Killeen. Evans was 1st team 13-3A all-district as an offensive end (one of only two Tigers to make all-district); 2nd team All-Cen-Tex team by the Temple Daily Telegram and 3rd team 3-A all-state by the Texas Sportswriters Association. The other 3rd team all-state end was Riley Odors of West So who went on to star at the U. of Houston and with the Denver Broncos for ten years in the NFL. Robert was recruited by the University of Houston, Air Force, and Trinity University and signed with Arlington State University (now the University of Texas at Arlington). He played for the freshman team in 1967 and broke into the starting lineup for the varsity as a soph DB at mid-season. He started every game in his junior (1969) and senior (1970) seasons and broke a school record (which still stood in 2001) as a junior when he intercepted four passes in a 27-10 loss to San Diego State. All four interceptions came in the first 20 minutes of the game (perhaps a national record for most interceptions in a short period) and came against San Diego State receiver Tom Reynolds, who at the time, was leading the nation in receiving yards with an average of 136 yards per game. Evans held Reynolds to 28 yards in three receptions and San Diego State QB Dennis Shaw avoided Evans’ side of the field for the rest of the game. The 1970 media guide indicated Robert “had the highest game grade average among defensive backs” and was credited (in 1969) with 63 tackles and 4 interceptions and broke up 13 other passes. He was described as 511" 170 lbs. with “excellent speed and reaction” and was a “top All-S.C. candidate.” He was chosen S.C. Player of the Week after the 4 interceptions against San Diego State in 1969 and was honorable mention all-Southland Conference. After his senior year in 1970 he was given the Ex-Letterman’s award for “outstanding contribution by a senior.” Robert majored in business with a minor in math at Arlington State and worked in logistics for LAV. in Ft. Worth from 1971-1975 before operating his own garage and barbeque restaurant in Ft. Worth from 1975-1989. He returned to Belton in 1989 to work in the furniture business. In 2001 Robert Evans, 53, lived in Belton and worked for the American Legion. He is divorced and his daughter, Ann Mitchell, 29, lives in CO. Tommy Grant is Belton High School’s all-time leading scorer in boys’ basketball. Tommy, a 6'1" Sr guard, averaged 24.1 points per game for the 1967 Tiger team that was only 11-13 (6-2) on the year and was 2nd in the N. Zone of District. Tommy broke the all-time Belton scoring record for one game with his 44 points (15 field goals and 14 free throws) in a 74-56 victory over Temple in the 3rd place game of the Temple Tournament in 1967. During that tournament he scored 113 points (44, 38 & 31) in 3 tournament games for a 37.7 average. Grant was averaging over 30 ppg in the early season but finished the season at 24.1 after opponents began double- and triple- teaming him since he was the only serious scoring threat on the Tiger team (the 2nd leading scorer was Tommy Hood at 8 ppg & other players were Jay Touggourt, Robert Evans, Tommy Lee, Bobby Blair, and Rusty Curtis). For example, Temple used the “box and one” defense tactic against Grant and Belton in a return game and held him to 18 points during a 51-48 victory. Grant scored 30 or more points 6 times during the season and saved his best games for the toughest opponents (i.e., he scored 44 against Temple, 38 against Waco Richfield, 36 against District champ Rochdale, and 36 against Clear Creek which won 3rd in the state in 1967). Tommy Grant made the Texas Sportswriters’ 3rd team AAA all-state in 1967 and might have made 1st team if he had played on a stronger team. Tommy was also an excellent rebounded (7 per game) for a guard and was an good defender. His 38 points against Waco Richfield impressed the Richfield coach so much that he recruited Grant to be a part of his newly created team at McLennan County Community College the next season. However, Tommy dropped out during his first year in Waco and ended his basketball career. Tommy’s success as a scoring phenom did not come easy or early. He was only 5'4" in the ninth grade but practiced long and hard to improve his scoring ability. Coach Jerry Blankenship noted that Tommy was an example of “excellence thru dedication” as he saw the 9th grader practicing alone on an outdoor court at an elementary school every day, even on cold, rainy days. Tommy made the Tiger JV team as a soph and was a part-time starter as a Jr. By his Sr year he had become (again after long solitary practice sessions) a “scoring machine” known as “Two-point Tommy” (the chant of the fans at home games). He shot 44.5% from the field during the season though he usually shot from “long range” (there was no 3-pt goal in 1967) and shot 87.4% from the free throw line. Tommy also possessed an unusual skill—he was ambidextrous. As a Little League baseball player he would alternate pitching left-handed and right-handed and was a left-handed pitcher on the Tiger baseball team as a Sr in 1967 though he was predominantly a right-handed shooter in basketball. Grant’s defenders in basketball were constantly amazed at his ability to handle the ball and shoot equally well with either hand. Given the ambidextrous scoring ability of Grant, a more appropriate nickname, “Two-Gun” Tommy Grant. Records come and go and it is unusual for a record to last 5 or 10 years—but Tommy Grant’s 44 points in 1967 is still a Belton H.S. school record in 2001 after 34 years. The next highest point total for one game in Belton’s history (as far as a record search could determine) was the 39 scored by 6'4" center Billy Carlock in 1988. Grant’s 113 points and 37.7 average in the Temple Tournament is also still a record. And his 24.1 ppg in 1967 is still the Tiger school record and broke the 22.6 ppg record of Richard Inman in 1959. The closest anyone has come to Grant’s record was the 23.8 ppg of Carlock in 1988. Tommy Grant, 51, still lives in Temple and is retired from a career with NationWay Freight. He and his wife, Becky, have two children, Gennifer, 26, and Guy, 22, and a grandson, Tyler. Tommy Lee, an all-district athlete in three sports at Belton High School in 1967-68, was named to the 3A all-state football team after the 1967 season and went on to start at LB for the 1970 National Champion Texas Longhorns, the 1971 UT team that was 8-3 and the 1972 UT team that was 3rd in the nation after beating Alabama in the Cotton Bowl. Tommy Lee was born in Belton on June 7, 1950, to B.J. and Wilma Hilliard Lee and was one of four boys (Tommy, Keith, Van, and Kris). The family moved to Ft. Worth in 1951 but returned to Belton when Tommy was 11 and he attended Southwest Elementary, Belton Jr. H.S., and Belton H.S., graduating in 1968. He was an outstanding weightman for the Tiger track team, and in his senior year of 1968, won District 13-3A in both the shotput (54'11") and discus (149'10") and placed 2nd at the Regional in the shotput (54'5") and 6th in the discus (134'4"). He placed 6th in the shotput at the state 3A track meet. In basketball Lee was a 6'2" soph backup post player on the 1966 Tiger team that won District and was 19-9 on the year. In 1967 as a junior he was the 3rd leading scorer at 7 ppg on the 11-13 Tiger team that featured the prolific scoring of all-state Tommy Grant. He was the leading scorer (17.2) as a senior on the 1968 Tiger team (17-10) that tied for the North Zone Championship and was named 1st team all-district. In football Tommy was the starting FB as a 6'2" 188 lb. soph on the 1965 Tiger team that was 4-6 under Coach Mack Birtchet. As a 202 lb. junior in 1966 Lee started at both FB and LB on the Tiger team that was 6-4 under new Coach Spike Dykes and was the team’s 2nd leading rusher (behind soph Robert Ford) with 508 yards on 123 carries (a 4.3 yard average) and 8 TDs. He was named 2nd team all-district as a FB. As a 210 lb. senior in 1967 Tommy was a FB on offense and LB on defense on the 1967 Tiger team that was 5-5 under new coach Jack Meredith. He was named to the 1st team 13-3A All-District team as a FB and LB; the All-Centex team by the Temple Daily Telegram; the Texas High School Coaches 3A All-State 2nd team as a LB; and the consensus High School Football Super Team (Friday Night Heroes) by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Magazine. He was named Belton’s Male Athlete of the Year and the Outstanding Senior Back. Lee was recruited by Arkansas, Baylor, LSU, Oklahoma, SMU, TCU, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Texas and was the first boy signed by Texas Coach Darrell Royal after the 1967 season. He played FB and LB on the 1968 UT freshman team and then redshirted the 1969 season. He worked his way into a starting role at LB as a soph in 1970 on the 10-1 Texas team that won its third straight SWC championship and was named the National Champion by the UPI and Football Foundation. Tommy broke a hand during the 1971 season but still started several games for the 8-3 Texas team. Tommy started at LB as a senior in 1972 when the Longhorns went 10-1 and were ranked third in the nation after defeating a Bear Bryant led Alabama team in the 1973 Cotton Bowl. The highlight of his senior season was his being mentioned as SWC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against Texas Tech. The 1972 UT media guide for his senior year indicated that he was a 6'3" 214 lb. LB and was “one of most improved linebackers on squad...no. 1 strong linebacker...missed final spring game with broken hand...meets blockers as well as any linebacker on squad...has good size and quickness.” Tommy graduated from the University of Texas in 1973 with a BA in Economics and began his career with A.H. Robbins Pharmaceutical Co. He has held executive management positions with several healthcare companies and is currently Director of Business Development for M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston TX. Tommy married Karen Hampton of Houston in 1974 and they and their three children, Rob, 21, Tiffany, 18, and Austin, 14, live in Spring TX. Robert Ford, at only 5'6" and 160 lbs., was Belton’s leading rusher as a soph, junior and senior (in 1968) and went on to become the University of Houston’s top receiver and return specialist. He coached in three Super Bowls during his 10-year coaching career in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins. Robert was a 3-sport letterman for three years at Belton H.S. and graduated in 1969. He was a 3-time All-District outfielder on the Tiger baseball team, was a 3-year starter at RB in football, and ran the sprints and sprint relay for the Tiger track team for three years. As a senior Ford won the District in the 100-yd dash (9.9) and 220-yd dash (22.0) and anchored the winning 440-yd relay team (43.2) that included Preston Clemons, Cleveland McBride, and Jim Stewart. He led the Tigers in rushing with 591 yards as a soph in 1966 but (because of an injury) played only 5 games at RB as a junior and still gained 551 yards (leading the team) at 6.8 yards per carry. In his senior year, the 5'6", 160 lb. Ford was the leading rusher (1,011 yards on 144 carries for a 7.0 average), leading receiver (288 yards on 12 passes for 24 per catch average) and scorer (142 points) for the 1968 Tiger football team that was 9-2 under Coach Jack Meredith and was champion of District 13-3A. The Tigers lost 21-19 to Refugio in Bi-District (Refugio went on to state finals and lost to Lubbock Estacado). Ford closed out his career against Refugio with 115 yards in 15 carries and scored twice, once on a 68-yard run. He was named 1st team All-District; 1st team 3-A All-Centex by the Austin American; and was named Captain and started on both offense and defense for the South team in the Texas Coaches Assoc. All-Star game. Ford caught 3 passes for 88 yards in the game which ranked as the 2nd most receiving yards in the history of the 33-year old game. In 2001 his 88 yards still ranked 11th in the 66-year history of the game. Ford attended the U. of Houston on a football scholarship and started at running back and/or receiver on the 1970 team (8-3), the 1971 team (9-3) and the 1972 team (6-4-1). He was MVP of the freshman team and MVP of the 1972 varsity team as a senior. He still holds an NCAA record as the only player to catch two 99-yard TD passes during his career (against Syracuse in 1970 and San Diego State in 1972). As a senior at the U. of Houston in 1972 Ford was a 5'7" 165 lb. split end and was the team leader in pass receiving (538 yards on 35 receptions—the 8th highest in UH history) kickoff returns (331 yards on 14 returns—7th highest in UH history) and punt returns (236 yards on 23 returns—6th highest in UH history). Since Houston was an independent in 1970-72 Robert missed the opportunity to make all-conference. The U. of Houston press guide noted that Ford was “one of major college football’s smallest starters” at 5'7" and 170 lbs. Robert also won an “Outstanding Achievement Award for Community Service” while at the U. of Houston for his volunteer work. Robert received a B.S. in Ed. from Houston in 1973 (and an M.A. in Athletic Administration from Western Illinois U. in 1974) and then coached at Saginaw MI High School (1 year); Western Illinois (2 years); the U. of New Mexico (3 years); Oregon State (2 years); Houston Gamblers of the USFL (1 year); Kansas (6 months); Texas Tech (2 years); Dallas Cowboys (as tight ends coach) from 1991-1997; and Miami Dolphins (as receivers coach) from 1998-present. During his tenure with the Cowboys the team made the playoffs in 6 of the 7 years, won 5 Division championships, and three Super Bowls. Ford has been a receivers coach during most of his coaching career and has coached several All-American receivers and all-pros (i.e., Cowboy tight end Jay Novacek) and was a receivers coach for QB’s Jim Kelly, Troy Aikman and Dan Marino. Robert and his three siblings were raised by their mother, Bernice Ford, in Belton. In 2001 Robert Ford, 50, and his wife, Janice Renee, live in Miami FL. Their two grown sons are Robert L. Ford, II, 25, of Dallas and Jason Alan Ford, 23, of Pembroke Pines (who played on the Coppell TX state championship baseball team as a junior). Robert has a brother, Cedric Ford, 40, who lives in Belton and two sisters, Mary Harrison, 56, of Dallas and Margheret Thomas, 55, of Los Angeles. Most Beltonians know Tim Brown in 2001 as a Bell County Commissioner but he was also a great athlete at Belton H.S. from 1967-1970 as he was the 3-A state champion in the discus as a Senior; an all-district basketball player as a junior and senior; and an all-district (and Super-Centex) end in football as a junior. Sophomore Timmy Brown and freshman David Bartek led the Tiger B-Team to a 9-1 football season in 1967. As a junior the 209lb Brown was a tight end/tackle on the 1968 Tiger team which was 9-2 on the year; won the District Championship of 13-AAA; and lost 21-19 to Refugio in Bi-District. Tim was named to the 1st team All-District team and to the Temple Daily Telegram’s Super-Centex team (which also included his brother, Sr. Back Tommy Brown of Salado). Tim broke his arm during his senior season and missed seven games and thus made no all-star teams in his last season. However, the 6'4" 220lb Senior end did heal from his injury in time to help lead 10-2-1 Belton to its best playoff record in school history as the Tigers went all the way to the 3-A state semi-finals before losing 10-6 to West Columbia. Timmy Brown was a 6' 4" postman in basketball and made 2nd team all-district in both his junior and senior seasons. He averaged 12 ppg as a junior on a team that was 15-12 (10-4) on the year and finished third in the District. Senior Tim Brown (13.3 ppg) and 5'9" Senior John Messer (15.4 ppg. & MVP of District) led Belton to a three-way tie for the District 13-AAA Championship in 1970 as the team finished the season 23-9 (11-3). Brown was noted as a tough inside player, a tenacious rebounder (he had more than 20 rebounds in one game several times) and occasional high scorer (with highs of 31 points as a junior and 36 as a senior). Track was Timmy’s best sport and he improved markedly in the discus in each of his three years at Belton H.S. He finished 6th in the District as a sophomore and won the District as a junior with a district record toss of 164'10" before going on to finish 3rd in the Region at 151'5". As a Senior he won the district (174'11") and regional (178'0") discus titles with record breaking throws and his regional mark bested the old regional record by 16 feet. Brown and Jr. David Bartek (who broke the regional record in the shotput at 58'0") helped Belton to a 3rd place finish at the regional track meet. Brown had the 2nd best throw (183' 6") in the state (regardless of class) going into the state meet and won the 3-A discus title with a throw of 183' 10" (short of the state 3A record of 190'—but he broke the BHS school record set by the legendary Richard Inman by 23 feet). He was selected to the all-state track team by the Texas Sportswriters Association as one of four boys in the discus and was ranked among the top ten boys in the nation in the discus. Timmy Brown is the son of Tom and MaryBelle Brown of Salado and grew up with an older brother, Tommy. Timmy transferred to Belton for the ninth grade while Tommy (a year older) remained in Salado and became a SuperCentex running back who gained over 6,000 yards during his high school career and later played football at Abilene Christian. Several Division I schools began recruiting Timmy for football after his junior year but “backed off” after his injury plagued senior season. However, he was recruited after his senior track season by such schools as Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M, and USC. Timmy accepted the track scholarship from A&M. and threw the discus for three years for the Aggies. Tim graduated from A&M in 1976 with a degree in Environmental Design and received an MS from A&M in 1986 in land development. Since graduating from college Tim has been self-employed as a designer/builder. He moved back to Bell County in 1987 and was elected to the Commissioner’s Court in 1994. Commissioner Brown spearheaded the construction of the Bell County Courts Annex and the renovation of the Bell County Courthouse. He is currently president of North America’s Superhighway Coalition and of the Central Texas Council of Governments. Tim and his wife, Lana, live in Salado in 2001. One of their (grown) children, Roger Smith, also lives in Salado while the other, Alexis Smith, lives in Lewisville. The leaders of the 1969 Tiger basketball team are now leaders of the community as Tim Brown is a County Commissioner and John Messer is chairman of the school board. Rex Reid was one of three Tigers to make the 1969 3A all-state team after Belton’s 1969 “best ever” team went all the way to the state semifinals before losing to West Columbia. Rex Reid was born on Nov. 29, 1951, in Belton to Leslie P. and Bessie Louise Reid and was the third of four children (Leslie, an all-district guard on Belton’s 1958 football team), Elaine (Belton class of 1961), Rex, and Gary (Class of 1974). The Reids and Walkers (his mother’s family) have been in Bell County for three generations. Rex attended Tyler Elementary, Belton Jr. H.S. and Belton H.S., graduating in 1970. During high school he was a member of 4-H, FFA and played baseball and football. Rex was on the “B” team as a 160 lb. soph guard in
1967 during Jack Meredith’s first year as head coach
Rex was a 5'8" 190 lb. senior guard on the 1969 Belton team that was 10-2-1 on the year, won District, and beat Gregory-Portland and Kerrville Tivi in the playoffs before losing to West Columbia 10-6 in the state semifinals. The Tigers dominated West Columbia statistically but failed by four inches on a 4th down rush near the end of the game. Rex was named co-captain of the team and was 1st team all-district in 13-3A on both offense and defense; 1st team All-Centex offense by the Temple Daily Telegram (who also named Reid the Centex Player of the Year in AAA) and the Austin American-Statesman; and 1st team 3-A all-state as an offensive guard by the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram and the TX Football Coaches. Two other Tigers, junior David Bartek and senior Charlie Griggs, also made the all-state team giving Belton three players on the all-state team for the first time in school history. Rex was also named the outstanding senior Tiger lineman at the annual football banquet. Reid was recruited by Angelo State University and Abilene Christian College and signed with Angelo State but married fellow 1970 Belton High graduate Marsha Alford, the 1969 Homecoming Queen, in the summer after he graduated and decided not to play football in college. Marsha became a legal secretary for the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and Rex became a police aide in Austin while attending St. Edwards University where he graduated in 1977 with a degree in criminal justice. He became a full-time Austin police officer in 1971 and served for 12 years (1971-1982) working in patrol, community relations and with the S.W.A.T. team. Rex taught defensive tactics and physical fitness his last 3 years on the Austin force and in 1982 won the National Title in the AAU National Power Lift Competition in Oklahoma City in the 220 lb. class, novice division. He also served on the Board of Directors for the Texas Police Athletic Federation and coordinated the 1982 International Police Olympics held in Austin. Rex divorced in 1978 and married Diane Whitmore in 1982 after retiring from the Austin force. Rex and Diane, a race horse trainer, worked in Mexico for a year before moving to Alvaton KY in 1983. They purchased a 40-acre farm, Reid’s Livery, where Diane is a riding instructor and horse trainer and Rex is a full-time blacksmith/farrier. Rex and Diane travel to Crested Butte Colorado each year to deliver riding horses for the mountain trail riders and to give horsemanship clinics. Rex “shoes” for owners of Arabian show horses, cutting horses, and reining horses as well as several other disciplines such as dressage, western pleasure, and racing thoroughbreds. He has been “shoeing” for 15 years and his clients include world champion horses, the Barnum and Baily Circus and the Lippizan Stallion Tour. In 2001 Rex Reid, 49, and his wife Diane live in Alvaton KY with their son Josh, 17 (a soccer player), and daughter, Megan, 15 (a championship rider). Rex’s son from his first marriage, Eric Reid, 27, graduated from the Naval Academy and is a Captain in the U.S. Marines in Quantico VA. His mother, Bessie Louise Gerstenburg, lives in Salado. Charlie Griggs was one of three Belton players to make all-state in 1969 when the Tigers went all the way to the state semi-finals and had, perhaps, the best football team in school history. Charlie has deep Belton “roots” and has spent most of his 20-year teaching career in Belton. Charles White Griggs was born in Belton on Dec. 9,1952, to C.V. and Cathryn Griggs. His father owned Griggs Equipment, Belton’s largest employer in the 1950's, and was mayor of Belton in the 1960's and on the school board in the 1950's. Charlie was the youngest of two boys (Clarence was one year older) raised in Belton and attended Mrs. Means’ private first grade, Tyler and Miller Heights Elementary, Belton Jr. H.S. and Belton H.S., where he played football and served on the annual staff and graduated in 1970. As a 160 lb. soph in 1967 Charlie played on Coach Hugh Sullivan’s JV team that was 9-1 on the year, losing only to Killeen. He was a junior in 1968 on the Tiger team led by HB Robert Ford and coached by Jack Meredith that was 9-2 on the year, won district, and lost to Refugio 21-19 in the bi-district. Charlie, a 175 lb. center, was named 1st team all-district 13-3A and All-Centex 3rd team by the Temple Daily Telegram. Charlie was a 210 lb. senior center in 1969 on what was arguably the “best ever” Tiger team that was 10-2-1 on the year, won District, and beat Gregory-Portland and Kerrville Tivi in the playoffs before losing to West Columbia 10-6 in the state semifinals. The Tigers dominated West Columbia statistically but failed by four inches on a 4th down rush near the end of the game. Griggs was named All-Centex 1st team by the Temple Daily Telegram, All-Super-Centex by the Austin American-Statesman, and 1st team 3-A All-State by the Texas Football Coaches Association. Two other Tigers from the 1969 team, David Bartek and Rex Reid, also made all-state in 1969 marking the first and only time Belton placed three boys on the all-state team. Griggs was recruited by several outstanding Division I universities such as Notre Dame, Texas, and Arkansas but signed with Texas A&I where he decided in his freshman year that he didn’t want to play football and left school. He returned to the Belton area and worked in construction and ranching and then returned to college at Mary Hardin-Baylor where he graduated in 1980 with a degree in history. In 1974 Charlie married Julie Stewart, the daughter of Col. (Ret.) J.T. Stewart and Ruth Vannoy Stewart (whose brothers, Rayborn and Richard Vannoy were star Belton football players in the 1930's). Charlie’s 20-year teaching career included 12 years at Belton High School (where he coached JV football under Coach Chuck Douglas) and 6 years at Belton Jr. H.S. where he still taught in 2001 at the age of 48. His wife, Julie, taught for 18 years at Leon Heights Elementary School in Belton and currently teaches at Jefferson Elementary School in Temple. Their children are Katie Griggs Ling, 26 (BHS Class of 1993), of Rowlett TX and Kris Griggs, 24 (BHS Class of 1995), of Temple. Katie played tennis and Kris played soccer at BHS. David “Bull” Bartek was arguably the best football player in the history of Belton High School. There is little argument that he was the best player on Belton’s best ever team that reached the state semi-finals in 1969. David was named 1st team all-state in his junior (both at FB and LB) and senior years (at LB) and later played three years at the University of Texas as a backup FB to two All-Americans. He was also named all-state in track and field throwing the shotput over 60 feet and twice finishing second in the state. David was born in Belton on Aug. 23, 1952, to Ben and Agnes Bartek and grew up in Belton as the youngest of four children. He starred in both football and track & field at BHS and, as a soph, won district in the shotput at 55'1" and was 2nd at the Texas Relays and at the state meet (at 56'9"). In his junior year of 1970 he won district in the shotput (59'9") and was 2nd in the discus (at 148'4") and won the shotput at 58' (breaking old record of 57'1") and was 3rd in the discus at 150'7" at the Regional. He finished 2nd again in the shotput at the state track meet at 60'5"' and was named to the All-state track team announced by the Texas Sportswriters due to his 4th best throw in the state (regardless of class). Senior Tim Brown won the 3-A discus title and the Belton team finished 5th in the state with 24 points. As a senior in 1970 Bartek had a season best in the shotput of 60'3.75" and finished 4th at the state meet (59'9"). He had a season best in the discus of 162'3" at the state meet finishing 5th. In football the 200 lb. soph Bartek rushed for 475 yards on 96 carries and scored 9 TD’s for the 1968 Tiger team that was 9-2 , won District 13-3A and lost in Bi-District to Refugio. He was named 1st team all-district at LB and 2nd team all-district at FB. Bartek rushed for 1,620 yards on 261 carries (6.2 yards per carry) and scored 19 TD’s and 126 points as a junior for the 1969 Tiger team that was 10-2-1 and lost in the state semi-finals to West Columbia 10-6. He was named 1st team Super-Centex on offense and defense by the Temple Daily Telegram, the Austin American-Statesman and the Waco Tribune Herald (which also named him Player of the Year) and 1st team 3-A all-state on both offense (FB) and defense (LB). Seniors Charlie Griggs and Rex Reid also made the all-state team giving Belton three players on the all-state team for the first time in school history. The Tigers were 8-1-1 in David’s senior season of 1970 and finished 2nd in the District as he rushed for 1,158 yards on 244 carries (4.7 yards per carry) and scored 16 TD’s and 119 points. During a three-year career Bartek rushed for 3,253 yards on 601 carries (5.5 yards per carry), and scored 44 TD’s and 301 points. Playing on a weaker team as a senior, David was asked to “do more” and responded. For example, in the Del Valle game the Tigers trailed 20-0 at the half but he carried 46 times for 202 yards, scored 3 TD’s and kicked 3 extra points as the team won 21-20. He was again selected all-district at LB and FB and was named All-Centex again by the Temple, Austin and Waco newspapers and was named MVP by the Austin paper and AAA Player of the Year by the Temple paper. He was again named as an all-state LB and was selected to Texas Football Magazine’s SuperTeam (including all size schools) and to Sunkist’s Coach and Athlete All-American team. David was selected to play in the Texas Coaches all-star game and made 13 tackles at LB in the South’s victory. David was president of his senior class and graduated from Belton H.S. in 1971. He was recruited by several SWC schools and chose to attend the University of Texas because he wanted a UT degree. He was the starting FB (5.6 yards per carry) on the 1971 freshman team and was a 2nd team LB on the varsity as a soph in 1972 before a knee injury ended his season. He was moved to FB as a junior and was a back-up to All-American FB Roosevelt Leaks in 1973 but had outstanding games against Wake Forest (85 yards in 12 carries) and A&M when Leaks was injured. As a senior in 1974 he was a back-up FB to All-American Earl Campbell. David received a BBA from UT in 1975 and worked as a sales representative in Austin for several years before moving to Las Vegas in 1997. In 2001 David Bartek, 48, and his wife, Jen (the former Jen Brandes of Temple) lived in Las Vegas where David worked as a casino host supervisor at Fitzgerald’s Hotel & Casino. Jack White was an all-state tackle for the Tigers in 1970 and, as a junior, was a defensive stalwart on Belton’s “best ever team,” the 1969 Tigers who went to the state semi-finals. During his two years as a starter the Tigers were 18-3-2 and gave up less than 10 points per game to opponents. Jack White was born on Aug. 2, 1952, in Bell County to O. B. and Dorothy White. His grandfather, Oscar White, came to Bell County in the 1850's and his father was in the BHS Class of 1933 (and was a guard on the 1932 Tiger football team) and his mother was in the Class of 1942. Jack and his older sister (Class of 1966), Mary, were raised in Belton and attended Miller Heights Elementary School, Belton Jr. High School and Belton High School, where Jack graduated in 1971. Jack played on the Tiger B-team as a 225 lb. soph in 1968 and, as a junior in 1969, was a 230 lb. starting defensive lineman on what was arguably the “best ever” Tiger team that was 10-2-1 on the year, won District, and beat Gregory-Portland and Kerrville Tivi in the playoffs before losing to West Columbia 10-6 in the state semifinals. The Tigers dominated West Columbia statistically but failed by four inches on a 4th down rush near the end of the game. The team was led by three all-state players, junior David Bartek, and seniors Charlie Griggs and Rex Reid. White was named All-District at defensive tackle. Jack was a 235 lb. senior offensive and defensive lineman on Coach Jack Meredith’s 1970 Tiger team that was 8-1-1 on the year and finished 2nd in District 13-AAA to Gatesville which defeated the Tigers 33-32. The Tiger defense led by LB Bartek, DT White and DE Warren Isaac (who all made 1st team all-district on defense) gave up only 87 points during the year for an average of 8.7 ppg and shut out three opponents (17-0 over Lockhart, 7-0 over Copperas Cove, and 29-0 over Lampasas). White was named All District on offense and defense; 1st team All-CenTex by the Temple Telegram; All Super-CenTex by the Waco Times Herald; all AAA Cen-Tex and Super-CenTex by the Austin-American; and 2nd team all-state by the Texas Football Coaches Association. He and fellow senior David Bartek gave Belton two players on the all-state team after placing three on the all-state team in 1969. Jack was also named Belton’s top lineman at the annual football banquet. White was recruited by the University of Houston, Angelo State, and Blinn College and signed with Angelo State before deciding against playing college football. He attended Blinn College for a year and a half before returning to Belton in 1973 to help run the family farm when his father had a heart attack. In 1981 Jack White married Sheryl Rubac of Buckholts. Their four children in 2001 were Grant White, 25 of Taylor; Shana White, 24 of New York City; Shelly White, 15, a freshman softball player at BHS; and Elizabeth White, 11, a 6th grader and member of the band at Tarver Elementary School. Jack raises corn, oats, and cattle on the 450 acre family farm southeast of Belton (at Three Forks) that has been operated by the White family since 1916. He is on the boards for the Livestock Show of the Bell County Youth Fair and for the Bell County Farm Bureau. Sheryl is also a bookkeeper for Lott Vernon & Co in Temple. In 2001 Jack White, 49, attends all Tiger home football games and supports various Belton school activities (i.e, he and Sheryl are 4-H leaders). Booker Russell played four seasons in the NFL after being signed as a undrafted free agent in 1978. He was a “late bloomer” as he was only honorable mention all-district as a senior at Belton H.S. after the 1973 football season but received a football scholarship to SWTU. Booker died in Belton in 2000 at the age of 44. Booker Taylor Russell was born in Belton on Feb. 28, 1956, to James T. and Mittie Pearl Nelson Russell and was one of seven children. He attended Harris School thru the second grade and then (after integration ) Southwest Elementary, Belton Jr. High School and Belton High School, graduating in 1974. Booker was a halfback in his sophomore football season of 1971 on a 6-4 Belton team and in his junior season of 1972 when the Tigers were 9-3 and District Champs, losing in Bi-District to Brenham. In his senior season of 1973 the Tigers were 12-1 and District and Bi-District champs, losing in the quarterfinals to Henderson. Booker made honorable mention all-district on offense (six Tigers were named all-district on offense and four were all-district on defense) but was not a “star” at Belton as a 6'0" and 175 lb. senior offensive and defensive end. He was not named Belton’s top back or lineman in 1973 as his brothers, Lee (1975) and Willie (1979), were later. Booker was also the Tigers’ leading scorer in basketball as a senior and was on the 440-yd relay team that won district in his last two years. Booker Russell was considered to have “potential” coming out of high school and received a football scholarship to play at Southwest Texas State University. He played at SWT from 1974-1977 playing cornerback as a freshman and halfback and tight end as a soph and junior. He lettered his last two years and rushed 22 times for 116 yards as a junior. A pro scout told the speedy 6'2" & 233 lb. Russell during spring training before his senior year that he had a chance to make the pros if he “changed his attitude.” Russell took the advice and started at halfback as a senior helping the Bobcats contend (at 5-2) for the Lone Star Conference title. He rushed 66 times for 340 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Oakland Raiders signed Booker Russell as a free agent running back in 1978 and he played seven years in the NFL (1978-1984). He played two seasons (1978 & 1979) with the Oakland Raiders under Coach John Madden as a tight end and running back but was mostly a special teams player. His highlight game as a Raider came in 1979 when he rushed for three touchdowns on three carries for the Raiders in a Monday night game against the San Diego Chargers. Booker played one season (1980) for the San Diego Chargers and one year (1981) with the Philadelphia Eagles (where he was a lead blocker for Wilbert Montgomery). During his 4-year NFL career he played in 59 games rushing 90 times for 419 yards (a 4.7 average) and scoring 8 touchdowns. He ended his 6-year pro career with two seasons (1982-1983) as a starting fullback with the Philadelphia Stars of the USFL. After leaving pro football after the 1983 season, Russell returned to Belton to complete his degree at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. He worked for the Temple Parks and Recreation Department and served as a volunteer assistant football coach with the UMHB football team. Booker Russell died of natural causes at the age of 44 on March 9, 2000. His survivors in 2001 include his parents, James T. and Mittie Russell of Belton; four brothers, James W. Russell of Dallas, David Marcus Russell and Willie H. Russell of Belton and Lee A. Russell of San Antonio; and two sisters, Amanda Juanita Russell and Vera LaVerna Russell of Belton. His grave marker at the Belton Cemetery has a replica of a football with the inscription “NFL” and “32" (his number with Oakland Raiders). “Stories about Russell’s charm and generosity go back more than 20 years.” At a memorial service for Russell speakers told of his “smile and positive attitude which rubbed off on others—both on and off the gridiron.” After the 1979 Monday night game when Booker scored three touchdowns, he gave the game ball he had been given to owner Al Davis whose wife had just had a serious heart attack. UMHB Coach Pete Fredenburg noted that Russell had a strong positive influence on many of his players. Ted Williams, a 228 lb. senior and the son of head Coach James A. Williams, was named as an all-state center and kicker in his senior year of 1974 and was a three-year starter on the Tiger teams that won District championships in 1972, 1973 and 1974 and were 31-5-2 during his high school career advancing to the state quarterfinals in two of the three years. He later played football at Lamar University for two years and was named the university’s outstanding alumni for 1995. Ted Williams was born on Jan. 8, 1956, in Crosbyton TX to James A. and Frances S. Williams. He and his two sisters followed their coaching father to homes in Lorenzo, Petersburg and Hereford before moving to Belton at the age of 10 in 1966 when his father was named assistant coach under new coach Jack Meredith. In 1971 James Williams became head coach of the Tigers and in seven years compiled a win/loss record of 60-16-3 including four district championships and two 2nd place finishes. As a soph in 1972 Ted was a 195 lb. starting center for the 9-3 Tiger football team that won District and lost to Brenham 14-10 in Bi-District. He was a 212 lb. junior in 1973 as Belton was 12-1, won District, beat Houston Carver in Bi-District, and lost to Henderson 15-10 in the state quarterfinals. In Ted’s senior season of 1974 the Tigers were 10-1-2, won District, beat Navasota 17-0 in Bi-District, and lost to Jacksonville 15-7 in the state quarterfinals. During his three seasons as a starter the Tigers were 31-5-2 with three district championships. Ted was part of perhaps the greatest senior class in Tiger history as 12 of the 19 Tiger seniors made at least all-district. The twelve were all-state C/K Ted Williams, all-state LB Robert Dominguez, Super-Centex RB David Roepke, Super-Centex DB Johnny Faulk, and all-district players LB Jay Warrick, RB’s Bryan Sweeney (who later played in the NFL) and Eric Nelson, QB Roy Steger, E’s Bryan Hargrove and Ernest Brenek, G Rex Melvin and T Matt Bush. Ted was the Tiger placekicker during his three years on the varsity and during his career made 111 of 118 PAT attempts and 17 of 36 FG attempts including 6 of 10 as a soph, 6 of 17 (with five attempts over 50 yards) as a junior and 5 of 9 as a senior. In his senior year he kicked a school record 44-yard FG against Navasota, a record which held for 18 years until broken (at 51 yards) by all-state kicker Jason Ward in 1992. Ted and Ward are co-holders of the school record for most career field goals at 17. His last second FG against top District rival Taylor in 1974 gained a 10-10 tie. Williams was also known as an exceptional blocker with good quickness who studied game films to figure out how to out think his opponents. Ted was named All-Zone at center as a soph; All-Zone as an offensive center as a junior, and as a 6'2" & 228 lb. senior center in 1974, was named by the Texas Sports Writers Association to its first team Class AAA All-State offensive team as a center and kicker. Belton LB Robert Dominguez was selected to the first team all-state defensive team marking the second time in school history that two Tigers had made first team all-state (Junior David Bartek and Senior Charlie Griggs were first team All-State in 1969). Williams was also named to the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram’s Super All-State (which included classes 1A-4A) first team offense at Center and to the AAA All-Centex team by the Austin American-Statesman. Ted also was the starting center and kicker for the South team in the 1975 Coaches all-star game. Ted signed with Lamar University of Beaumont (a member of the Division I Southland Conference) where he started two games as a freshman and was a two-year letterman before a shoulder injury ended his career. He turned his attention to academics (he had been Academic All-Conference as a freshman) and graduated with honors with an accounting degree in 1979. After four years with Ernst and Whinney, he joined his present firm of Cook Shaver Parker & Williams of Beaumont. Ted’s three children are Lacey Robison, 22, of San Antonio and Terese Williams, 10, and James Williams, 7, of Orange TX He and his wife, Patrice, now live in Beaumont with his two stepchildren, Hayley, 12, and Alex, 11. In 1974 Belton Senior Robert Dominguez, though “undersized” at 5'11" and 175 lbs., was named All-State and All-Centex on both offense and defense and was named Class AAA Player of the Year in Central Texas by the Austin American-Statesman. He was named by the Texas Sports Writers Association to its first team Class AAA All-State team as a linebacker and to the second team as an offensive guard and to the second team defense on the Super All-State (regardless of class) team. Belton Center/kicker Ted Williams, 6'2" and 228 lbs., was also selected to the first team all-state team on offense marking the second time in school history that two Tigers had made the first team all-state team (Junior David Bartek and Senior Charlie Griggs were first team All-State in 1969). Dominguez was a first team Class 3-A All-Centex and Super-Centex selection on both offense and defense by the Austin American-Statesman and was named the Class 3-A Player of the Year. He was one of three Tigers selected to the District 12-AAA North Zone All-Zone first team on both offense and defense and he and Jay Warrick were voted “Defensive Tiger.” Robert was a starter on offense and defense for three years at Belton High School and played on three District championship teams. The 9-3 Tigers won district but lost in bi-district in his sophomore year. Belton was 12-1 in his junior year (when he was also All-Zone and All-Centex on offense and defense and made the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram’s all-state team) and lost in the state quarterfinals. In his senior year the 10-1-2 Tigers won district and again lost in the quarterfinals. The Dominguez/Warrick-led Tiger defense allowed opponents only 2.8 points per game (with 8 shutouts) in 1974 and 3.7 points per game (with 7 shutouts) in 1974. At the annual football banquet Coach J.A. Williams declared that because Robert was a two-way starter for three years on Tiger teams that played 38 games, he “probably played more varsity football for Belton than any other player in school history.” Robert and the other 18 seniors on the 1974 team had a record of 31-5-2 and lost only two regular season games in their three years on the varsity. Robert was also a 3-year starter in left field for the Tiger baseball team and played in the school band. Sports writers often commented on the “undersized” Dominguez who played offensive guard and linebacker “like a 200 pounder.” One reporter commenting on a 29-0 Tiger victory over Gatesville said that “Belton’s mixmaster defense, a gang of redhatted assassins led by linebacker Robert Dominguez, blitzed, branded and hogtied the Hornets. Like a loco bull, Dominguez punished everybody in a Gatesville uniform, assaulting ball-carriers behind the line, intercepting a pass and blocking a punt.” Robert had 126 tackles in 13 games in 1974 and in 2001 (28 years later) still held the school record of 21 solo tackles in a game. Robert won a football scholarship to Texas Lutheran (larger schools thought he was too small to play Division I) and played on the freshman team for the 1975 season before returning to Belton to complete his education at Mary Hardin-Baylor with a degree in business management in 1980. He worked at the First Texas Bank in Belton from 1980-82 and at a bank in Gainesville from 1982-89 before returning to Belton in 1990. Since 1992 Robert has owned and operated his own construction company in Belton. Robert Dominguez is the son of Robert and Rosie Dominguez and grew up in Belton with two brothers and three sisters. He attended Southwest Elementary, Belton Jr. High School, and graduated from Belton High School (in the top 10% of his class) in 1975. In 1982 Robert married Jane Pirtle, his high school sweetheart since their sophomore year. Jane and Robert have three boys, Adam, 15, Bret, 13, and Cole, 10. In 2001 Adam was Belton's starting QB as a soph; Bret was a tight end on the eighth grade team ; and Cole was hoping to play when older. Alana Jones became the first Belton High School female athlete to make all-state when she was selected to the state-wide all-star team chosen by the Texas Volleyball Coaches in 1975. At this time there was no state-wide “all-state” team but Alana was one of 20 seniors selected from throughout the state from UIL schools of all classifications to participate in an East/West all-star game in Brownwood. Alana Jones was born on March 7, 1957, in Belton to Glen and Estelle Jones. She was fourth of six siblings (Aubrey, Linda, Nancy, Lisa, and Esther) and was raised in Belton. Alana attended Miller Heights Elementary School in Belton and Holland Jr. H.S., before moving back to Belton in the 9th grade to attend Belton H.S. where she graduated in 1975. Alana began playing volleyball in the 9th grade under Belton Coach Janice Douglas and was known for the extra practice time that she devoted to the sport as she often worked out during her lunch hour and after school. The Tiger volleyball teams won District for seven straight years from 1972-1978 including the four years (1972-1975) that Alana was on the team. Alana at 5'8" was a “hitter” (called a “spiker” in those days) and relied upon her “setters” in the 5-1 or 4-2 offense utilized by the team. The Lady Tigers competed in the regional tournament at San Jacinto College in Houston in each of Alana’s four years on the team. In 1974 the Tigers were defeated by the eventual state champions, Houston ChannelView, by the close scores of 16-14, 15-17, and 18-16. The Belton girls also played together “out of season” in United States Volleyball Association tournaments under Coach Douglas. Alana lettered on the team as a freshman and was named 1st team all-district in 12-3A in her sophomore (1973), junior (1974) and senior (1975) years. She made all-tournament six times (at Killeen High, Killeen Ellison, UMHB, Rosebud-Lott, and Temple) in her four-year career, was captain of the Belton volleyball team in her senior year, and was named Belton High School’s Outstanding Female Athlete in 1975. The East/West all-star game was played on July 14, 1975, at Howard Payne University at the conclusion of the Texas Volleyball Coaches Clinic. Alana was accompanied to Brownwood by Coaches Janice Douglas and Glenda McKee. Alana worked out for a week with the West all-stars who defeated the East (of I-35) all-stars in a best of five game match on July 14. The week concluded with an Honor’s Banquet. Alana later played volleyball at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor from 1977-1980. In 1978 as a soph she was selected MVP in the St. Edward’s Volleyball Tournament in Austin. In her senior year of 1980 UMHB was runner-up in the small college division at the St. Edwards volleyball tournament to champion SWT. Alana graduated from UMHB in 1980 with a degree in Education, specializing in Elementary Physical Education. She married Gunar Otwell of San Antonio in 1980 and taught physical education for four years in Belton Elementary Schools until the birth of her first child. She and Gunar have four children, Leah, 17, twin sons, Russ and Brett, 14, and Matt, 12. The family moved to Rockdale in 1992. In 1993 Alana Jones Otwell founded the Milam County chapter of Christian Home Educator’s Fellowship (CHEF), a support group for Christian homeschoolers. The family moved to Cameron in 1999. Kelly Brooks, the 1977 valedictorian of Belton High School, was state 3-A champion in the shotput in 1977 and went on to UT where he was an NCAA All-American as a junior and senior (the second ex-Belton athlete to be named a collegiate All-American). In 1984 he was an Olympic Trial qualifier, broke the legendary Randy Matson’s stadium record at the Texas Tech Relays and had a career best throw of 66'1". Kelly Brooks was born on Sept. 30, 1958, in Canyon TX to Joe Wayne and Donna Brooks and is one of four children (Mark, Rhea, Rachel and Kelly). His father was an All-American guard at West Texas State in 1956. The family lived in Hereford until Kelly was 8 years old and moved to Belton where his father joined the coaching staff of Jack Meredith. As a youth he enjoyed considerable success as a catcher in youth baseball but gave up the sport as a freshman in favor of track & field to be with his father, the head track coach. Kelly was a football star at Belton H.S. and as a 6'0" 175 lb. soph was a back-up to Robert Dominguez and Jay Warrick on the 1974 team that was 10-1-2 on the year, won District, beat Navasota 17-0 in bi-district and lost in QF to Jacksonville 15-7. In 1975 he was a 6'0" 185 lb. all-district offensive guard as a junior for the Tiger team that was 5-4-1 (2nd in N. Zone) on the year. Kelly was a 190 lb. senior on the 9-1 (2nd in N. Zone) 1976 Belton team and was co-captain, all-district as an offensive guard and as a defensive LB, and All-CenTex. He was voted the top BHS lineman and won the scholastic award at the annual football banquet. Kelly benefitted from some excellent coaching in track from Tommy Hood, his Belton Jr. High shotput coach; from his father (the head track coach at Belton H.S.) and Coach Hugh Sullivan; from Richard Inman, Belton’s national high school shotput champion in 1960 and a volunteer coach; and (later) from UT’s Tim Hamilton. As a junior Kelly had a season best of 55'9" in the shotput and was 2nd in District (at 54'8") and 5th in the Region As a senior in 1977 he won district at 60'5" and set a regional record of 58'11" before winning the state 3A shotput title at 60'4". Kelly was recruited for football by Princeton, West
Texas State, Austin College and Howard Payne and played one year (1977) of
football at Howard Payne University earning a varsity letter as a 205 lb.
wingback and tight end. He also threw the (16-lb college) shotput 52'9"
and was voted the most outstanding field event athlete.
Kelly Brooks graduated from UT in 1982 with a BBA in finance and worked at a bank in Lubbock for three years while continuing to compete in track with Athletes in Action. He won the 1984 Open Div. of the Texas Relays (65'4"), the 1984 Texas Invitational (with a personal best of 66'1"), and the Open Div. of the 1984 Texas Tech Relays where he broke the legendary Randy Matson’s stadium record. Kelly was an Olympic Trial qualifier and finished 14th at the U.S. trials in Los Angeles. In 1985 Kelly moved to Ft. Worth and worked in the construction bond business. He married Pamela Sassin of SugarLand in 1990 and the couple lives in Houston in 2001 with their two children Emily 6, and Angus, 3. Donnie Kelly became the first Tiger golfer to win a state championship when he was first medalist at the state 3-A golf tournament in Austin in 1979. He was also voted the top male athlete at Belton High School in 1979, the first time the award had been given to a non-football or basketball player. He attended the University of Oklahoma on a golf scholarship. Don H. Kelly, Jr. was born in Belton on Sept. 16, 1960, to Don and Jeanne Kelly and was one of three children (Don, Kim, and Pam). His grandfather, J.V. Kelly, a bank president, served on the Belton school board in the 1950's and his father, Don, played HB for the 1958 Tiger football team. Donnie attended Leon Heights Elementary School, Belton Jr. High School and Belton High School, graduating in 1979. Donnie started playing golf at age 8 and was taught the game by his father who played on the Tiger golf team in 1959. He won numerous junior tournaments in the Texas area, finished 2nd in the Southern Junior in Pensacola FL and won the Texas-Oklahoma Junior in 1978. Donnie was the “star” of the Tiger varsity golf team as a freshman in 1976 as he was the district and regional medalist (with a 144 total leading the Tigers to a 3rd place finish) and won 3rd in the individual competition at the state golf tournament. As soph in 1977 Donnie placed 2nd in the District golf tournament with a score of 153 for 36 holes to qualify for the regional tournament where he placed 6th with a score of 161. The Tiger’s 1st team (under Coach Ken Morgan) finished sixth in the tournament. He had a “down year” as a junior and failed to place at district. As a senior in 1979 Donnie was District medalist and regional medalist and capped off his high school career by winning the state 3-A championship held at the Morris Williams Golf Course in Austin on May 1, 1979. His score of four-over-par 148 (73, 75) for two rounds was four strokes better than the runner-up, Gary Ray of Borger. In fact, Kelly’s score was lower than all but one 4-A golfer playing the same course. The Temple Daily Telegram reported that the final day was a “grueling marathon” and that Kelly “overcame chilling, gale-force winds, a three-hour rain delay and a nerve-wracking wait in the clubhouse to capture the state AAA golf title....intermittent midday showers twice forced officials to halt play. Lightning streaked the sky nearby and sweeping sheets of rain pelted the 6,675-yard layout while anxious golfers and coaches edged into the cramped clubhouse.” Donnie Kelly was voted top male athlete at Belton High School in 1979, the first time the award had given to a non-football or basketball player. He attended the University of Houston and the University of Oklahoma on golf scholarships and lettered in all three of his years (1981-83) at Oklahoma. His best finish as a collegian was a tie for 2nd at the John Burns Intercollegiate in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1981. His Oklahoma golf team finished 2nd to Big Eight champion Oklahoma State in his junior year. of 1982. Since graduating from the University of Texas in 1983 with a BBA in finance, Don has been in commercial/mortgage banking. In 2001 Don Kelly, 40, worked for National City Mortgage in Arlington TX and lived in Arlington with his wife, Stacy, and two daughters, Shelby,10, and Emily, 5. Ricky Sanders was voted Belton’s top male athlete in 1980 and had the greatest pro career of any ex-Belton athlete as he played ten years in the NFL including 8 years with the Washington Redskins and ended his career as the Redskins 5th all-time receiver in receptions and yards. He was the star of the 1988 SuperBowl as he set a SuperBowl record for receiving yards and the longest TD. Ricky Wayne Sanders was born on Aug. 30, 1962, in Temple TX and was raised in Belton by his mother, Hanna McCray, with his younger sister, Geneva (BHS, 1982). Ricky attended Southwest Elementary School, Belton Jr. H.S., and Belton H.S., graduating in 1980. He was a four-sport star during his years at Belton High School. As a 5'11" guard he was one of Belton’s leading scorers in basketball for three years (averaging 14 ppg as a soph) on teams that struggled to finish around 500. He was a three-year starter on the Tiger baseball teams of 1978-80 and one of the leading hitters. In Ricky’s senior year he led Belton to the District 14-AAA track championship in 1980 by winning four events: the 110-meter hurdles in 14.03; the 300-meter hurdles in 39.71; the pole vault at 13'9", and the 400-meter relay (42.77). He also placed second in the broad jump (21'10"). He then led Belton to its first regional track title by winning the110-meter hurdles in 14.9 and the pole vault in 14'9" and finishing second in the long jump and 300-meter hurdles (13.9). In the state meet Sanders finished 4th in the 110-meter hurdles (14.08) and pole vault (14.7) and was 6th in the 300-meter hurdles (38.94). In football as a soph in 1977 Sanders was all-district as a defensive back (leading the team with six interceptions) and was the place kicker on the Tiger team that went 9-1 in the regular season and lost to Marlin 34-0 in bi-district. In the 1978 season, the junior Sanders at 5'11" 170 lb. was a unanimous 1st team all-district selection at running back, defensive back, and place kicker/punter on the undefeated 10-0 Tiger team which lost in bi-district to Brownwood (the #1 ranked AAA team in TX) 20-0. He intercepted 3 passes in one game as a junior—a school record that he still shares in 2001 with Julius Johnson (1991). Ricky “played hurt” (at RB, QB, and DB) his entire senior season of 1979 for the 7-3 Tiger team and thus was not heavily recruited. Ricky was voted Belton’s top male athlete for 1979-1980. Ricky went on to Southwest Texas State where he played RB on the Bobcat teams of 1981-83. He was the Bobcats’ 2nd leading rusher as a soph with 586 yards on 126 carries and the 4th leading receiver with 8 receptions for 112 yards. As a junior in 1982 he was the team’s leading rusher with 1,177 yards in 214 carries and the 3rd leading receiver with 182 yards on 16 receptions. In 1983 the senior Sanders led the team in rushing with 665 yards on 141 carries; was 3rd in receiving with 210 yards on 14 receptions; and led the team in punt returns with 166 yards on 14 returns. Sanders scored 10 5 TD’s as a soph, 10 as a junior and 10 as a senior and was 2nd team All-Lone Star Conference as a junior and 1st team all conference as a senior. After college he played for two years (1984 & 1985) with the Houston Gamblers of the USFL where his receivers coach was ex-Belton star Robert Ford (BHS Class of 1969) and his QB was Jim Kelly. Ricky played for the NFL’s Washington Redskins for eight seasons (1986-1993) and ended his Redskin career as the team’s 5th all-time leader in receptions (414) and yards (5,854). The 5'11 180 lb. wide receiver caught 9 passes for 193 yards (a SuperBowl record) and two touchdowns (one for 80 yards equaling a SuperBowl record and the other for 50 yards) in Washington’s 42-10 SuperBowl XXII victory over Denver on Jan 31, 1988. The Redskins were 77-50 in Sanders’ 8 years with the team and won two Super Bowls (1988 and 1992–a 37-24 victory over Buffalo). Sanders total career statistics for 134 games over 10 years (including 1994-1995 with the Atlanta Falcons) included 483 receptions for 6,477 yards (a 13.4 yards-per-catch average) and 37 touchdowns. He also returned 33 kickoffs for 636 yards (a 19.3 average) and one TD; returned 2 punts for 12 yards; and rushed 23 times for 94 yards (4.1 yd average) and one TD. Sanders is one of only three ex-Belton football players to play in the NFL (the other two were tackle/guard Randy Winkler in 1967-68 & 1971 and Booker Russell in 1978-1981). Ricky Sanders, 39, lived in Houston in 2001 and was divorced with four children, Ashley, 14; Ricky Jr.,12; Kala, 10, and Chase, 3. Billy Jack Rhoads won the 4-A pole vault championship at the 1982 state track meet in Austin as Belton finished third in the team competition. By 2001 he was an assistant fire chief at Ft. Hood and involved with security/support for President Bush at his Texas ranch. Billy Jack Rhoads was born on Feb. 4, 1964, in Temple to Jack and Betty Rhoads and was one of six children (Barbara, Denise, Vicki, Billy Jack, and twins Jeff & Jay) who graduated from BHS. He was raised in Belton (his mother was a long-time secretary to D.A. Cappy Eads) and attended Southwest Elementary School, Belton Jr. High School and Belton High School, graduating in 1982. Billy Jack was a defensive back and punter/kicker for the Tiger JV team as a soph (1979) and junior (1980) and scored all of his team’s points (via a kickoff return, pass reception, two extra points, and a FG) in a 17-0 victory over Midway in 1980. As a 5'11" 155 lb. senior, he started as a defensive back for the 1981 Tiger team that was 7-3 under Coach Hugh Sullivan. Billy Jack was also the team’s punter and placekicker and kicked a 44-yd FG against Waco Midway and a 78-yd punt (a school record) against Marlin. Billy Jack began pole vaulting in the 7th grade
under the tutelage of Coach Bob Murphy who also coached him thru high school.
As a soph he was 3rd in the District behind teammates Ricky Sanders and David
Warehime and had a best vault of 14'0". As a junior in 1981 he won
District and was 3rd in the regional at 14'6". As a senior Rhoads won 1st
place in the pole vault at four meets before the District; placed 7th at the
prestigious Texas Relays; won 1st place at the District11-4A meet in Gatesville
at 13'6" and 1st place at the Region III meet in Huntsville at 15'3" breaking a
regional record. He also vaulted 14'6" in a qualifiers meet at McGregor
after the regional. Rhoads won the 4-A pole vault championship at the
state meet in Austin with a vault of 15' and, after winning, attempted to break
the state record of 15'9". He cleared the bar on his third attempt but hit
the bar with his hand on the way down and thus “settled for” the state
championship.
Rhoads was recruited for track by Texas A&M, Nebraska, Navy, and Abilene Christian and wanted to vault for Abilene Christian but since ACU was already “loaded” with pole vaulters he chose to sign with New Mexico Junior College in Hobbs NM hoping to attend ACU in his junior year. However, after vaulting for one year (with a personal best of 16'3") he dropped out of school and returned to Belton in1983 where he began an 18-year career at Ft. Hood with the federal government. He worked for four 4 years in public works before joining the Ft. Hood Fire Dept. in 1987. By 2001 Billy Jack Rhoads was the assistant fire chief and involved in training and fire/paramedic support for President Bush during his visits to his Crawford ranch (Billy Jack’s former coach, Bob Murphy, is athletic director at Crawford). His younger brother, Jeff, who was 4th in the state in the pole vault in 1988 (and had a personal best of 14'3"), is also a fireman under his brother at Ft. Hood. Billy Jack Rhoads, 37, is divorced lives in Florence TX. His oldest son, Joshua, 16, is a football/baseball/track athlete at Florence H.S. and his youngest son, Clay, 12, is a golfer in Florence. In 1982-83 Brett Stafford became the second (Richard Inman was the first in 1959-60) Belton Tiger to make all-state in three sports as he was an all-state quarterback for the 10-2 bi-district champion 1982 Tiger football team, won 1st place in the intermediate hurdles at the state 4-A track meet in 1982, and was all-state in baseball in 1983. He went on to start at QB for the U. of Texas for three years and held 14 UT school records when he graduated in 1988. Brett’s father, Dick Stafford, was an assistant coach at Temple H.S. for 11 years before becoming head coach at Belton High School in 1982. Brett attended Temple schools thru his jr. year in football and then transferred to Belton at mid-term. He was the back-up QB for the Temple Wildcats in his freshman year when Temple won the state 4-A championship and was an all-district & all Cen-Tex QB in his soph and jr. years on the 1980 & 1981 Temple teams that lost in the regional and had a combined record of 21-3 over 2 years. The1982 Belton Tigers, coached by Dick Stafford and with QB/DB Brett Stafford, were 9-1 in the regular season (losing only to Cameron 12-6) and won District 12-4A with a 7-0 record. The Tigers then beat Houston King 35-8 in Bi-District before losing to perennial 4-A power Bay City 6-0 in the regional game. Bay City went on to the state finals and lost to state champion Willow Ridge. Brett passed for 1,440 yards and rushed for 904 yards for a total of 2,344 total yards for the 1982 season (and 5,533 yards total offense for his 4-year career) and set school records (which still stood in 2001) with an 80-yard punt return and a 95-yard run from scrimmage. He was named District 12-4A offensive player of the year; SuperCentex by the Austin and Waco newspapers;1st team 4-A all-state and was a Parade H.S. All-American QB. He was considered one of 3 “blue-chip” QB’s in the state; and played in the TX H.S. Coaches All-Star game where he was a starting DB (he was all-district as a safety). Brett had an immediate impact at Belton H.S. in 1982 after he enrolled at mid-term of his jr. season as he helped the Tigers win the district and regional track meets that May by winning the intermediate hurdles (an event he had run only 5 times by the District Meet) and running on the winning mile relay team. The Tiger track team tied for 3rd at the state track meet as Stafford won 1st (state champion) in the intermediate hurdles in 37.5 (the 5th best time in the nation) and ran a 48.3 opening leg on the Tiger mile relay team that placed 4th at 3:17.71 (a school record). Brett was named to the Parade H.S. All-American track team after his jr. season. He was on schedule to run a 36.6 in the hurdles at the 1983 state track meet in his sr season when he hit the final hurdle and fell to 6th. He ran a 48.5 anchor leg on the Tiger mile relay team that finished 5th at state. In 2001 Stafford still held the Belton school records for the 330-meter hurdles and for the 1600-meter relay. Stafford was a center-fielder on the Tiger baseball teams of 1982 and 1983 and was named to the All-District and All-State teams after his senior season. His hitting skill (he hit .456 as a senior) and base running speed attracted pro scouts who offered him a sizable bonus to turn pro and forego college football. Brett, a 6-1, 190 lb. QB, was a 3-year starter for the U. of Texas from 1985-1987 and held 14 school records after his sr season (e.g., for most yards passing, total yards). He was 2nd team all-SWC in 1987 and was voted the SWC offensive player of the week after UT’s 16-14 victory over Arkansas. By 2001 Brett’s 14 school records had been reduced to one---he still holds the UT record for most starts (34) at quarterback in a career. NFL scouts considered Stafford a pro prospect as a DB but he was not drafted after he indicated no interest in pro football. In 2001 Brett Stafford lived in Temple where he has owned and operated Best-Way Carpets on Airport Rd. for 11 years. He and his wife, Gail, have two boys, 4 and 5. He is also a part-time professional bass fisherman and has been featured twice on ESPN bass fishing shows. In 2007 Brett Stafford was inducted into the Texas H.S. Football Hall of Fame in Waco--the first Belton athlete to be so honored in any sport. Neil Hickerson was the Texas 4-A state golf champion in 1983, went on to earn all-SWC and honorable mention All-American honors at Texas A&M, and played professional golf for a short time. In 2001 he continued to play as an amateur and still holds the course record at two local golf courses. Neil Edward Hickerson was born on Dec. 12, 1964, in Germany to Mac and Jane Hickerson. He was the fourth of five children and moved to Belton with his family at the age of 11. His father was born and raised in Belton, graduated from Belton H.S. in 1948 and from A&M in 1952, and served in the U.S. Army (as a pilot) for 25 years beginning as a 2nd Lt. in the Korean War. He retired as a Lt. Col. and coached golf at Mary Hardin-Baylor from 1980-1999. All five Hickerson children graduated from Belton H.S. (Buddy, 1976; Joel, 1978; Dani, 1980; Neil, 1983; and Sander, 1984). Neil was VP of his junior class and an honor student. Neil took up golf at the age of 13 while in Belton Jr. High under the tutelage of Coach Ken Morgan. He made the Tiger varsity golf team as a freshman and finished 3rd in District as a freshman, sophomore and junior. As a 5'10" & 130 lb. senior he won 1st in District and was 3rd in the region but qualified for state as the Belton team was 2nd at the region. Belton finished 3rd in the state team competition under Coach Ken Taylor and Neil and two other golfers tied at 149 for individual medalist honors after two rounds at the state tournament at Austin’s Morris Williams Municipal Golf Course. Neil captured the gold medal on the third hole of the play-off after hitting his first shot within six feet of the pin. Hickerson won a golf scholarship to St. Thomas University of Houston and played there for the fall semester before transferring to Texas A&M. He “redshirted” for one year and then played on the varsity golf team at A&M for three years, 1985-86, 1986-87, and 1987-88. He was third on the Aggie team as a sophomore at 73.7 strokes per round. As a junior he had three top ten finishes in collegiate tournaments and was 7th in the SWC tournament as the Aggies captured the team championship. As a senior Neil averaged 73.26 strokes per round; won the Woodlands Intercollegiate Tournament; finished 2nd at the Trans-Mississippi Amateur Golf Championship (with 180 golfers); was 5th at the Texas Amateur at Houston; won the Torreon, Mexico, amateur tournament over top Mexican and American amateurs; and finished 2nd at the SWC tournament at 139 (70, 69). Neil was selected as 1st team all-SWC as a junior and senior and was chosen by the Golf Coaches Association of America as honorable mention All-American and all-regional (e.g., District 6) after his senior season. After graduating from A&M in 1988 with a degree in agricultural economics, Neil played professional golf for 2 & ½ years on the Asia Tour, the Space Coast Tour, the Hogan Tour, etc. Highlights of his pro career included a 5th place finish at the Indian Open at New Delhi and 36th at the Lee Trevino Texas State Open. After retiring from pro golf in 1991, Neil worked for Curtis 1000 for two years and in insurance and annuities for two years before he began selling pharmaceuticals in 1996. In 2001, Neil Hickerson, 34, was engaged to Chris Baker of San Antonio and lived in Austin. He continued to play golf (as an amateur) and still holds the course record at two local golf courses (63 at Mill Creek in Salado and 59 at Sammons Park in Temple). He formerly held the course record at Wildflower in Temple. John Thompson won the state championship in the high jump in 1986 and had a personal best at 7'0" earlier in the year. He also led the 1986 Tiger basketball team in scoring, rebounding (though only 5'10") and steals and was voted the MVP of the district and Belton’s top male athlete in 1986. He continued his track and basketball career at Angelo State from 1986-1989. John Thompson was born on August18, 1967, in Belton to Jewel and Lottie Jackson and was the second of four children (Willie, John, Kevin, and Toya). John was raised in Belton and attended Miller Heights Elementary School, Belton Jr. H.S., and Belton H.S. graduating where he graduated in 986. John was a starter as a 5'10" freshman on the 1983 Tiger basketball team that was 11-19 (5-9) and led the team in assists (4.9 per game) and steals (3.5 ) and averaged 10.2 points per game. He was also a top scorer on the 1984 Tiger team that was 19-14 (10-5) and tied for 2nd in District and was honorable mention all-district. As a junior in 1985 he led the (17-12, 4-6) Tigers in scoring at 18.2 ppg and was named 2nd team all-district. In his senior year of 1986 he again led the (17-16, 7-4) Tigers who lost to Georgetown in the zone playoff. He led the Tigers in scoring (20 ppg), rebounding (11) and steals (3.8 ); was 2nd in assists (5.1); and hit 49% of his field goals and 77% of his free throws on the season. Thompson was unanimously chosen by the Zone coaches
as the Most Valuable Player in the North Zone of District 6-4A in 1986 and was
also the MVP of the Super-CenTex team. Thompson had tremendous athletic
ability as he had a 36-inch vertical jump (he high jumped 7ft as a senior) and
could do a 360 degree dunk (he had 27 dunks on the year). He received
seven awards at the annual Spring Sports Banquet including Belton’s male athlete
of the year; Mr. Field Goal Percentage; Mr. Steals; Chairman of the Boards; Mr.
Defense; Mr. Offense; and MVP. Thompson and Brian Baggerly were voted
co-captains.
Billy Carlock is the only Belton H.S. basketball player to make all-state in the past 34 years (since 1967). Billy, a 6'5" Senior Center, was a 2nd team 4-A All-State selection in 1988 and still holds the Belton Tiger record for most points scored in a season with his 809 points in 1988. His scoring average of 23.8 in 1988 is second only to Tommy Grant’s 24.1 in 1967 and his 39 points against Houston North Shore ranks third all-time in school history to the 44 by Grant in 1967 and the 42 by Bill Barge in 1963. Billy was the MVP of District 9-4A as he averaged 23.8 ppg; 11.8 rebounds (he had a 34 inch vertical jump); 3.4 blocked shots; and shot 62% from the field. He was selected to the all-tournament team at all three tournaments (at Belton, Brownwood, and Georgetown) the team entered and was voted MVP and “Mr. Offense” for the Tigers at season’s end. The 1988 Tiger basketball team, led by co-captains Billy Carlock and Greg Ratcliff, won 27 games (27-7, 11-4), the 4th highest season total in school history (after the 35 in 1960, 30 in 1938, and 29 in 1959) and tied Pflugerville for second place in District 9-4A. The Tigers beat the Panthers 67-57 to win the second-place playoff spot as Carlock scored 25 points and had 14 rebounds. The Tigers then lost 65-63 in the first round of the playoffs to Cleveland which had been in the playoffs for nine straight years and was the state 3-A champ in 1986. Carlock was double and triple-teamed the entire game and the young Tigers (Belton started two freshman and a sophomore) were not able to overcome the “team defense” against Carlock who did manage to score 20 points and hit his only five shots in the second half. Billy also played first base and pitched for the Tiger baseball team as a Senior but his season ended before district play began when he broke his ankle. Coach David Tidwell believed Carlock had great potential as a pitcher as he had shown great form in pre-district games. Billy Carlock moved to Belton in 1986 from Pittsburg TX where he had averaged 18 ppg as a sophomore. Due to the death and illness of his parents, Billy and his 13 siblings lived with various relatives until Billy was taken in and eventually legally adopted by the Hibbs family (Jim & Judy and their children, Cavin, Keith and Cindy) which operated a barbeque restaurant in Pittsburg. Billy moved with the Hibbs family to Belton before his junior year but (at the urging of Pittsburg) was declared ineligible by the U.I.L. which suspected he was “recruited” by Belton noting that Billy was black and his “family” in Belton was white. Billy, barred from playing on the Tiger varsity team in 1987, averaged 25.2 and 14.5 rebounds for the junior varsity. Several Division I schools (including Texas Tech) recruited Billy after his senior season but he chose to attend McLennan County Community College in Waco. MCC was 17-15 in his first year (1989) and was beaten in the first round of the NJCAA Region V tournament by Odessa College led by National Jr. College Player-of-the-Year Larry Johnson (later of the Charlotte Hornets and New York Knicks). As a sophomore in 1990, Billy was the leading scorer (17.8 ppg) and rebounder (8.7) on the 25-9 MCC team that again lost in the NJCAA tournament to Odessa. Carlock, who scored 42 points in the victory over Weatherford that clinched the Northern Texas Jr. College Athletic championship, was named to the All-Tournament Team of Region V. Billy Carlock played one semester at Concordia Lutheran in Austin before dropping out of school. He returned to Belton in 1990 and began an 11-year career with the Belton Independent School District. In 2001 Carlock was Grounds Supervisor of the BISD. Billy is still single and is still part of the Hibbs family in Belton. His father, Jim Hibbs, died in 2000 but his mother, Judy, is a supervisor at Wal-Mart. His three siblings also remain in the Belton area. Billy Carlock was one of seven Tiger All-state players at the Belton basketball reunion on Feb. 9, 2001. Bo Ferguson joined Richard Inman, David Bartek and Jason Ward as one of only four Belton football players to make all-state for two years as he was named 2nd team all-state as a WR in 1989 as a junior and 1st team in 1990 as a senior. In 2001 Ferguson still holds school records for passes intercepted in a season (8) and for a career (21). Anthony “Bo” Ferguson was born on Dec. 28, 1971, in Columbia MO to Terry and Robert Sanders and is one of six children (Mike, Angie, Danny and Bo Ferguson, Roger Dinkins and Nikki Sanders). He was raised in Belton and attended Southwest Elementary School, Belton Jr. H.S. and Belton H.S., graduating in 1991. Bo played basketball and football at BHS. He was the 4th leading scorer (6.6 ppg) for the Tiger varsity basketball team as a 6'0" freshman in 1988 on the team (led by Billy Carlock) that was 27-7 and lost 65-63 in the playoffs to Cleveland when Bo’s last second 3-point shot failed. He also played on the Tiger basketball team in his soph year and thru half of his junior year. Bo was a soph free safety on the 1988 Tiger football team that was 6-5-1 on the year under 1st year Coach Jim Rodrique and was named 1st team all-district after intercepting 6 passes as a DB and catching 8 passes for 268 yards and 4 touchdowns as a WR. As a junior in 1989 Bo, at 6'2" & 175 lbs., was the leading receiver on the Belton team that was 9-2 on the year and was ranked #4 in the state before losing to Stephenville 32-6 in Bi-District and ending the year ranked #6 in Texas in 4-A. The team featured two 1,000 rushers, Scott Smith and Thomas Scholars, and the passing of Toby Rumfield to Ferguson who caught 32 passes for 568 yards (averaging 17.8 per catch) for 5 TDs. On defense Ferguson intercepted 7 passes as a free safety breaking the school record for interceptions in a season set by his cousin, Ricky Sanders. He was a unanimous choice on the 8-4A All-District offensive and defensive first teams; was chosen 1st team All-Central-Texas (for classes A-5A) at WR by the Austin American-Statesman; and was named 2nd team all-state in 4A by the AP Sports Editors. As a senior in 1990 Bo intercepted 8 passes on the year (breaking the record of 7 he set the previous year) for a career total of 21 interceptions which broke a school record. He also caught 40 passes for 836 yards and 10 TD’s as a WR and was selected to the AP Sports Editors Class 4A all-state 1st team as a split end even though his Tiger team was only 2-8 on the year. His teammates, Eric Roach and Raymond Williams, were honorable mention all-state at LB. Bo was a unanimous 1st team All-district split end; 1st team WR on the All-Central Texas Team by the Austin American-Statesman; 1st team all-state by the Coaches; and 2nd team Super Team (the top players in Texas at each position regardless of size of school) as a defensive back by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Magazine. Ferguson was recruited by the University of Houston, Iowa, TCU and the University of Texas but signed with Iowa Lake Jr. College in Estherville Iowa where he had 8 interceptions in 1991 (ranking him 8th in the nation among junior college defensive backs) and was named 1st team all-conference at free safety. Bo did not play again at the college level but did workout for a year (1995) with the Iowa Barnstormers of the Arena League who were quarterbacked by Kurt Warner who led the St. Louis Rams to a SuperBowl championship after the 1999 season. After leaving college in 1992 Bo worked in management training for Sam’s Club for 3 years at posts in Temple, San Antonio and Des Moines, Iowa, and by 1996 owned his own seal coating and asphalt business in MO . Bo married Paula Johnson of MO in 1997. In 2001 Bo Ferguson, 29, lived in Marshall MO with his wife, Paula, and step-daughter, Markila. Scott Smith was named all-state in 1989 after breaking the Belton school rushing record as a junior and again as a senior. He was an outstanding running back at SWT and is currently a captain in the U.S. Air Force. Brandon Scott Smith was born on Nov. 22, 1971, in Denton TX to Van and Linda Bell Smith and is one of four children (Shawn, Beth, Scott and Travis). Scott was raised in TX and OK and attended elementary school and junior high school in Mooreland OK and the 9th grade in Tahlequah OK where he was all-state as a freshman in powerlifting in the 132 lb. weight division with three lifts totaling 1000 lbs. (bench press=200, squat=425 and dead lift=375). He moved to Belton for his soph year and lettered 3 years in track, 3 years in football, and one year in baseball at BHS. Scott was named Mr. BHS by his classmates in 1990. As a soph he was a member of the Tiger 4 x 100 sprint relay team that won District 8-4A. As a junior his sprint relay team finished 3rd in the district and as a senior he was district champion in the 400 meters & had a best time of 49.7. Scott was a soph DB on the 1987 Tiger team that was 6-4 in Coach Dick Stafford’s last year. As a junior Scott rushed for 1,153 yards (a Belton school record) for the 1988 Tigers who were 6-5-1 under first-year Coach Jim Rodrique, beat Brownwood 35-14 in bi-district, lost to Wichita Falls Hirschi 26-16 in the Area and finished the year ranked #7 in the state. Scott was named 1st team all-district and All-Centex by the Austin-American Statesman. As a senior he rushed for 1,297 yards (breaking the school record he set the previous year) on 222 attempts for 5.8 yard average and scored 19 TD’s. During his two-year career as a starting running back he gained 2,450 yards and scored 29 TD’s. In his senior year of 1989 the Tigers were 9-2 on the year, lost to Stephenville 32-6 in Bi-District and were ranked #6 in Texas at the end of the season. The Tigers gained 2,574 yards rushing (a school record breaking the record of 2,552 in 1988 when Scott was a junior) on the year and featured two 1,000 rushers, Scott with 1,297 and Thomas Scholars with 1,041 yards. The 1989 Belton team also featured an offensive line led by all-state Mike Faglie and the passing of QB Tody Rumfield to all-state WR Bo Ferguson. Smith’s 1,297 yards was a school rushing record for one season until it was broken by Mario Bronson at 1,298 in 1995. His 5 TD’s in one game in 1988 and 19 TD’s for a year (1989) were still school records in 2001. The 5'9' 185 lb. Smith was named offensive MVP of District 8-4A as a senior in 1989. He was also named 1st team All-Central Texas by Austin American-Statesman and 3rd team all-state by the Texas Sportswriters Association. Smith was joined on the all-state team by Bo Ferguson (2nd team) and Mike Faglie (3rd team) marking the second time that three Tiger football players made all-state in the same year--the first time was in 1969 when Belton’s David Bartek, Charlie Griggs and Rex Reid were all named all-state. Scott was also given the team Fighting Heart Award in 1989 and was voted Most Conscientious Player in 1988 and 1989. Smith was recruited by several schools and signed with Southwest Texas State University where he was an outstanding running back for four years (1990-1993). He saw limited action as a freshman “slot back” in 1990 but was SWT’s starting FB as a 5'9" 180 lb. soph in 1991and was the team’s 2nd leading rusher with 549 yards on 86 carries (a 6.4 average) and 2 TD’s. He rushed for a career high 117 yards in 17 carries against Texas A&I. Scott was again the team’s 2nd leading rusher in 1992 as a junior as he rushed for 604 yards on 132 carries (4.6 per carry) and 3 TD’s. He rushed for 109 yards against Texas Southern and for 90 yards against Stephen F. Austin. As a senior he rushed for 246 yards on 48 carries (a 4.8 average); caught 5 passes for 45 yards; and returned 8 kickoffs for 215 yards (a 26.9 average). Scott graduated from SWT in 1995 with a major in health care administration and (due to ROTC training) was commissioned a 2nd Lt in the U.S Air Force. Smith’s career from 1995-2001 included time in Bosnia where he was credited with saving three lives. In 2001, Capt. Brandon Scott Smith, 29, was stationed in San Francisco CA and was in charge of design and construction of new health care facilities in the Western U.S. and the Pacific. Mike Faglie was born on March 5, 1971, in Temple TX to Lonnie and Ingrid Faglie and was the youngest of four children (Thomas, Janie, Marie, and Mike). His father was a top football and basketball player (with a high game as a junior of 38 points---a school record) for the Tigers in 1960-1963. Mike was raised in Belton and attended Miller Heights Elementary School, Belton Jr. H.S. and Belton High School where he graduated in 1990. Mike threw the shotput and discus for the Tiger track team and played football during his three years of high school. Mike was a 250 lb. soph offensive lineman for the
1987 Tiger football team under coach Dick Stafford which was 6-4 on the year.
He was also a starting offensive lineman as a 265 lb. junior in 1988 when the
Tigers were 6-5-1 under first-year coach Jim Rodrique, beat Brownwood 35-14 in
bi-district, lost to Wichita Falls Hirschi 26-16 in the Area and finished the
year ranked #7 in the state.
Faglie was recruited by several Division I schools but signed with Blinn College. He attended Blinn for two years (1990-1992) majoring in criminal justice but did not play football. In 2001 Mike Faglie, 30, lived in the Portland, Oregon, area where he was a transportation manager for fuel fleet trucks. He was engaged to be married in 2002 to Kristyn Millspaugh. Toby Rumfield was a four-year starter at Belton H.S. in football, basketball and baseball and was a three-time all-state baseball player, the only male Belton athlete to make all-state in the same sport for three years. In 2001 he was in his tenth year of professional baseball. Toby Rumfield was born on Sept. 4, 1972, in Lubbock TX to Shelby and LaVerne Rumfield. He was the 2nd of three boys and was the third of four members of the Rumfield family to star at Belton H.S. His father, Shelby, played football, basketball and baseball from 1962-1965 and still coaches at BHS; his brother, Bock, was all-state in both football and baseball in 1993-94; and his brother, Shayne, was the Tigers’ top pitcher in 1988. In football, Toby started as a QB and free safety as a freshman on the 1987 team that was 6-4 on the year. and was all-district at free safety. As a soph he was Belton’s QB on the 1988 team that was 6-5-1 on the year. As a junior he was the QB on the 1989 team that was 9-2, won District, and lost in bi-district but ended the year ranked #6 in Texas. He was 1st team 8-4A all-district as a junior after throwing for 1,173 yards (70 completions in 166 attempts) and 12 touchdowns (with only four interceptions). As a senior in 1990 he was the QB of the Tiger team that was 2-8 on the year. He was also named Belton’s Best Offensive Back and Most Conscientious Player and Belton’s top male athlete after his senior year. Toby was also a 4-year starter in basketball as he was a 6'2" freshman forward averaging 6.1 ppg (and winning the team “hustle” award) on the 1988 team (featuring Billy Carlock) that was 27-7 on the year and lost in the 1st round of the playoffs. He was a all-district as a soph in 1989 on the Tiger team that was 12-18 on the year and all-district as a junior on the 1990 team that was 18-12 on the year. He was all-district again in 1991 as a senior on the Tiger team that was 19-14. In baseball Toby was Belton’s starting catcher as a freshman in 1988 and was named 2nd team all-district for Belton’s 15-12 team after hitting .460 with 22 RBI’s. As a soph he was named 1st team all-district and 2nd team all-state by the Texas H.S. Baseball Coaches Assoc in 1989 after hitting .486 with 43 RBI’s and 6 HR’s and 19 SB’s. As a junior in 1990 he led the 22-8 Tiger team to the Area Championship and was named 1st team all-district and MVP of the District and 1st team all-state by the Coaches after hitting .426 with 34 RBIs, 3 HR’s, and 12 SB’s. As a senior in 1991 he was again 1st team all-district and MVP of the District and 1st team all-state by the Coaches after leading the 20-6 Tigers by hitting .489 (a school record which still stood in 2001) with 42 RBI’s and 10 HR’s. Toby thus became the first male Tiger athlete to make all-state for three years in one sport. Toby Rumfield graduated from Belton H.S. in 1991 and was recruited by Texas A&M, North Texas and SWT for football; by Rice for basketball; and by Texas A&M, LSU, and UT for baseball. He signed with UT for baseball but decided to forego playing in college after he was the second pick (#64 overall) of the Cincinnati Reds in the 1991 professional draft. By 2001 Toby, at 6'3" 220 lbs., was in his 10th year of minor league baseball having played (mostly as a catcher) for 6 years in the Reds’ organization, 3 years in the Braves’ organization, and 1 year in the White Sox’ organization. He played for Princeton (B), Billings (C), Charleston (A), Winston-Salem (A), Chattanooga (AA), Greenville (AA), Richmond (AAA) and Charlotte (AAA). Statistically his best overall year was 1994 when he hit .249 with 29 HR’s (leading the league) and 88 RBI’s for Winston-Salem and was named an all-star. He was the Reds minor league MVP at Billings in 1992 and the Class A Minor League Player of the Year in 1993. He reached the AAA level with the Braves and White Sox organizations and in 2001 was only “one step” from the Major Leagues as he played for AAA Charlotte (a White Sox affiliate). In 2001 Toby and his wife, Kari, and their children, Samantha, 4, and Toby Joseph, 1, lived in Charlotte NC during baseball season and in Belton during the off season. Julius Johnson was named 1st team All-State in 4A at free safety by the Texas Sportswriters as a junior in 1991 and was honorable mention all-state at running back as a senior in 1992. He set a state record in 1991 with a 105-yard interception return for a TD and still holds Belton school records for the longest interception return and for the most passes intercepted in one season. He was the co-recipient (with Tyson Tidwell) of Belton’s Top Male Athlete award as a junior. Julius Johnson was born on June 7, 1974, in Temple to Charles Blackmon and Emma Johnson. He and his brother, Charles Johnson, were raised in Belton where Julius attended Southwest Elementary School, Belton Jr. H.S., and Belton H.S., graduating in 1993. He was a three-sport (football, basketball and track) star in high school. At only 5'9" Julius was a three-year starter in basketball and received the team award for Mr. Hustle and Mr. Defense as a sophomore. He was one of the team’s leading scorers as a junior on the Tiger team that was 13-16 on the year. As a senior he was the starting point guard (at 10 ppg) on the Tiger team that was 14-12 on the year. In 1992 as a junior, Julius, coached by Danny Quick, won the 110-yd high hurdles (14.42) and was 2nd in the 300-meter hurdles (43.62) at the Big Red Relays and was 5th in the high hurdles at the prestigious Texas Relays. At the District 18-4A track meet he was 2nd in the 110-yd. high hurdles with a personal best of 14.17 (coming close to Mark Eno’s school record time of 13.89 set in 1983); was 5th in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles at 40.66; and ran on Belton’s 5th place 440-yd. relay team (44.46). He placed 6th in the high hurdles (15.2) at the regional meet. He did not run track as a senior. In football Julius was on the varsity for four years. He was a reserve defensive back as a freshman for the 9-2 Tiger team of 1989 under Coach Jim Rodrigue that won District and lost 32-6 to Stephenville in Bi-District. He was the starting free safety and running back as a soph in 1990 on the 2-8 Tiger team and scored five touchdowns. Julius was a 5'9"175 lb. junior on the 1991 Tigers who defeated (eventual) state 4-A champions A&M Consolidated 41-21 in pre-season and won District before being upset 42-0 by Chapel Hill in Bi-District. He played safety on defense and wide receiver on offense and was the team’s second leading receiver with 332 yards He set a state record in 1991 with a 105-yard interception return for a TD against Copperas Cove and tied a school record (with Bo Ferguson and Ricky Sanders) with 8 pass interceptions on the year. He was a unanimous choice for the 25-4A All-District 1st team on both offense and defense and was named first team all-state as a defensive safety by the Texas Sportswriters after a season in which he gained 1,380 all-purpose yards (at running back, wide receiver, kick returner) and scored 14 touchdowns during Belton’s 9-2 season which ended with a Bi-District loss. He was awarded (with Tyson Tidwell) Belton’s Top Male Athlete award for 1991-1992. As a senior the speedy 5'9" 185 lb. Johnson was used by Coach Rodrigue at several positions (running back, wide receiver, free safety, and quarterback) on the 1992 Tiger team that was 6-3-1 on the year. The Tigers upset A&M Consolidated (state 4-A champs in 1991) for the second year in a row. Julius was 1st team 25-4A all-district and honorable mention all-state at running back after a season in which he gained 968 yards on 147 carries for a 6.58 yards per carry average and scored 12 touchdowns. Johnson was recruited by the University of Miami, Florida State, Texas, Texas A&M, and Baylor and signed with Blinn Jr. College where he was a starting defensive back for two years (1993-94). He scored his first collegiate touchdown on a 65 yard fumble recovery/run against Ranger Jr. College and was named defensive player of the game in a season-ending bowl game in 1994. Julius played at Texas A&M at Commerce for one season (1995) starting at outside LB and was named the team’s co-defensive player of the year. He suffered a severe knee injury in the last game of his junior year and was not able to play as a senior. He majored in computer science at A&M-Commerce. In 2001 Julius Johnson, 27, and his son, Kavan, 5, lived in Temple where Julius was a sales manager for Garlyn Shelton. Raymond Williams was a two-time state champion in the discus and in 1993 won the state discus and shotput titles as he led Belton to second place at the state 4-A track meet, the Tiger’s best finish since winning state in 1909. Williams was also a two-time defensive District MVP as a LB and was named to the 4-A all-state football team as a junior. Raymond was born on Jan. 15, 1974, to John and Linda Williams and was one of four children (with Mike, John, and Lisa) raised in Belton. He attended SouthWest Elementary School, Belton Jr. H.S. and Belton H.S., graduating in 1993. Raymond played basketball as a freshman but concentrated on football and track and field in his last three years in high school. He became one of only five Tiger athletes (with Richard Inman, David Bartek, Brett Stafford, and Darren Brinkley) to make all-state in two sports as he starred in both track and field and football. As a sophomore in 1991 Williams won 2nd in the district (151'8) and at the regional (160'4") in the discus and finished 4th at the state meet. As a junior (1992) he won the state discus championship at 183'0" (10 feet better than second place) after winning the regional meet with an even better throw (184'7"). He also reached his personal best of 189'9"—a mark that broke the school record (183'10") by Timmy Brown in 1970. Williams finished 3rd in the shotput (54'3") in District in 1992 and had that rare combination of strength and speed as he ran a 4.7 40-yd dash and ran on Belton’s 440-yd relay team which finished 5th at District. In Williams’ senior year of 1993 he won the state 4-A discus championship at 184'7" (13 feet better than second place but short of the state record of 191'11") and the shotput title at 59'10" to score 20 of Belton’s 27 points at the state meet (David Moreland was third in the pole vault and Jerome Stowers was sixth in the high jump) for a second place team finish (by only one point) to state champion San Angelo Lakeview. Williams had earlier won the discus (179'7") and shotput (59'6") at the regional meet. Raymond was a 6'0" 235-lb. middle linebacker as a
soph in 1990 on the Tiger team that was 2-8 on the year. He set
school record for most tackles (solo + assists) in a single game at 25 in 1990
(a record that still
Raymond was recruited by several Division I football programs (e.g., the University of Houston) but signed with Blinn Junior College where he played defensive end and linebacker for one year (1993) before leaving school. In 2001 Raymond Williams, 30, and his wife, Kenya, and their three children, Teosha,11, Raymond, 6, and Daymond, 1, lived in Austin where Raymond was a senior production technician with Dell Computer. Anitra Davis was the greatest female athlete in the history of Belton High School. She became the first Belton girl to make all-state in basketball and the first Belton athlete, male or female, to be named 4-A all-state as a freshman when she was selected to the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches’ all-state team in 1992. Davis also made all-state as a sophomore and junior at Belton before transferring to Houston Madison where she was all-state in 5-A and was voted 5-A player of the year by the Coaches Association. She was also a Parade Magazine and Kodak All-American (and one of USA Today‘s top 25 recruits in the nation) as a senior in 1995. She became one of the few athletes in the history of Texas (and the first in Belton) to be named all-state for four straight years. Anitra starred at Stephen F. Austin University from 1996-1999 and was the leading scorer and rebounder in the conference as a senior. Anitra Davis, the daughter of Laura Murray, was raised in Belton with her brother, John, and sister, Amber and attended BHS thru her junior year. She was also a volleyball star as she was a starter as a freshman and made all-district as a sophomore. As a junior she was named the MVP of the District in Volleyball and the outstanding female athlete at BHS. Davis was a 6-ft. freshman forward on the Lady Tiger basketball team in 1992 that finished second in District 18-4A and became the first team in the school’s history to make the playoffs. The Lady Tigers under Coach Chris Bentley were 19-13 on the year (a marked improvement over the 7-21 record in 1991) and lost 49-46 in Bi-District to Corsicana. Davis averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds per game on the season and had a career high 42 points against Copperas Cove. She was named to the 3rd team 4-A All-State team selected by the Coaches Association and to the 1st team All-Regional Team. Anitra was named 1st team all-state by the Texas Basketball Coaches Association in her sophomore year of 1993 after averaging 24 points and 13 rebounds per game for the 18-14 Lady Tiger team who tied for 2nd in the District and lost to Georgetown in a District playoff game. In Anitra’s junior season of 1994 the Lady Tigers dropped to a 14-16 record and finished 3rd in District. However, Anitra averaged 27.8 points and 15 rebounds per game and was again named 1st team all-state by the Basketball Coaches. Before her senior season she was listed by Street and Smith’s basketball magazine and by USA Today as one of the top high school seniors in the nation for the forthcoming year. Anitra transferred to Houston Madison for her senior year and averaged 21 points and 11 rebounds and 3.2 blocked shots per game leading the Lady Marlins to a “final four” appearance in the 5-A state tournament where Madison was beaten by Austin Westlake. Madison was ranked no. 1 in the state and 13th in the nation (by USA Today) before its semi-final loss and finished the season at 33-2. Anitra was named the MVP of District 17-5A, and to the 1st team all-Houston Area team. She was named to the 1st team 5-A all-state team selected by the Texas Sports Writers Association and 1st team all-state by the Basketball Coaches Association which also voted her the 5-A player of the year in Texas. Anitra was also named to the Parade Magazine high school All-American 3rd team; to the Kodak All-American team; and was ranked by USA Today as one of the 25 top players in the U.S. Anitra was one of four Texans to play in the Foot Locker Girls All-America Game in Altoona PA. Anitra was a 6'1" forward at Stephen F. Austin University from 1996-1999 and averaged 14.4 ppg during her career (8.4 ppg as a freshman, 14.0 as a sophomore, 15.9 as a junior and 19.6 as a senior) and shot 52% from the field, 70% at the free throw line and 26% from the 3-point line over her four years. She was 1st team All-Southland Conference as a junior and as a senior led the conference in scoring (19.6 ppg—21st in the nation) and rebounds (9.1). She was also 2nd in the conference in FG’s at 52%, 4th in FT’s at 75%, and 6th in blocked shots at 0.8. She had a perfect game on Jan. 2, 1999, when she shot 10 of 10 from the field and 9 of 9 from the free throw line. Anitra graduated from SFA in 1999 with a degree in criminal justice and played pro basketball in France for a short time in 2000. In 2000-01 she played for the semi-pro Houston Jaguars of the National Women’s Basketball League and taught and coached at Dowling Middle School in Houston. Jason Ward became the fourth Belton Tiger football player to make all-state in football for two straight years when he was named as a kicker to the Class 4-A All-State team in both his junior (1991) and senior (1992) (1992) years. Ward was also an outstanding (three-time all-district) soccer player at Belton High School and received a soccer scholarship to a Colorado college. Jason Ward was born on Oct. 22, 1974, in Temple TX, to Wayne and Penny Ward. He and his older sister, Katy, and younger brother, Adam, were raised in Belton. Jason began playing soccer in recreational leagues at the age of 6 and began club soccer at age 11. He played soccer year-round through his freshman year including indoor soccer for a team in Austin that traveled throughout the state. Jason’s athletic career as a high school freshman included soccer, his first love, track (he ran on the freshman 400-meter relay team that finished 2nd in District) and football. Ward was on the Belton varsity soccer team for four years and scored 4 goals as a freshman, 10 goals as a soph, 15 goals as a junior, and 36 as a senior establishing a school record that stood until 2001 when Richard Ellis broke his record with 42 goals. He was 2nd team all-district as a sophomore and 1st team all-district as a junior and senior under Coach Chris Poulter. In his senior season of 1992 he led the 15-8 Tigers into the playoffs where the team was eliminated in the first round of the regional by Plano, the top ranked team in the state. Jason’s athletic career expanded to football during his freshman year when the freshman football team’s kicker was injured and he was asked to try out as the team’s kicker though he had never kicked a football before. He became the kicker for the freshman team, kicked for the JV football team his sophomore year, and then moved on to the varsity for his junior and senior years. As a junior in 1991, Jason was the punter and placekicker on the 9-2, Belton that won District and lost to Chapel Hill 42-0 in Bi-District. He was 40 of 46 on PAT’s and 7 of 9 in FG’s and kicked a 17-yard FG against Midway to win the game 27-24 in the closing seconds. He was named all-district 1st team and to the 4-A All-State 2nd team offense after his junior year. Three other Tigers (Raymond Williams, Chris Gillians, and Tyson Tidwell) made honorable mention all-state that year. As a senior in 1992 on the 6-3-1 Tigers, Ward was the team’s punter and placekicker and made 23 of 24 PAT’s and 9 of 10 FG’s (for a total of 50 points on the season), including a 51-yarder against Leander which broke the school record of 44 set by all-state kicker Ted Williams in 1974. He also tied Ted Williams' school record (which still stood in 2001) with 17 FG’s during a career. For the second straight year, Jason was named to the 4-A All-State 2nd team offense and became the fourth Belton football player (after Richard Inman in 1959 & 1960; David Bartek in 1969 & 1970; and Bo Ferguson in 1889 & 1990) to make all-state in football for two consecutive years. Five other Belton players (Brock Rumfield, Darren Brinkley, Julius Johnson, David Stroud and Raymond Williams) made honorable mention. In 2006 Jason was still in the Belton record books as co-holder for career FGs at 17 and for the longest FG at 51 yards in 1992. Jason graduated from Belton High School in 1993 and attended Colorado Christian University on a soccer scholarship for one season, scoring 4 goals. After returning to Belton in 1994 he attended the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor and Temple College. By 2001 he had moved to Houston, was engaged to Shirley Wilson, and worked in commercial real estate in Houston. Chris Regan was named to the Texas H.S. Coaches Association’s all-state baseball in 1992. He and his brother Jason Regan, who made all-state in 1994, became the second of three “brother-combos” (with Bernard and David Bartek and Toby and Brock Rumfield) to make all-state at Belton. Christopher John Regan was born on June 9, 1974, in Fairfax VA to Michael and Rose Regan and was the oldest of two children, Chris and Jason. He was raised in Belton and attended Miller Heights Elementary School, Belton Jr. H.S., and Belton H.S., graduating in 1992. Chris’ baseball career began in the Belton Midget League when he was 6 years old. At Belton High School Chris was a left-handed pitcher and first baseman. He was a pitcher on the Belton JV team as a freshman in 1989 but was called up toward the end of the year and pitched well for the varsity (10-13 on the year) under Coach Harold Sinclair who coached the Tigers in 1989 during Coach David Tidwell’s only year away from the Belton program from 1986-2001. Because of an injury, Chris saw limited action as a soph pitcher in 1990 on the Belton team that was 22-8 on the year under Coach Tidwell and Area Champs defeating Grandbury and Crowley before losing to Andrews in the regional semi-finals. He pitched 23 innings on the year and was 1-1 with 23 strikeouts. As a 6'0" 210 lb. junior in 1991 Chris was a pitcher and first baseman on the Tiger team that was 20-6 on the year losing to Corsicana in bi-district and finished the year ranked #7 in the state in 4A. As a pitcher he was 3-2 for the year with an ERA of 3.92 with 37 strikeouts and 23 walks in 25 innings. Chris also hit .238 in 1991 in 21 at bats while pitching and playing first base. As a senior in 1992 Chris Regan was a pitcher/first baseman on the Belton that was 25-5 on the year and was ranked as high as #5 in the state in 4A early in the year. The Tigers won District 18-4A with an 8-2 record and beat Corsicana and Conroe Oak Ridge in the state playoffs before losing to Bridge City. For the year Chris was 10-1 (the most victories and best record in Central Texas according to the Austin American-Statesman) with an ERA of 1.75 and 106 strike outs and only 29 walks in 76 & 2/3 innings. In the playoffs he pitched a 7-hitter to beat Corsicana 5-2 and a 3-hitter against Bridge City but lost 1-0 on an unearned run. Chris was named 1st team all-district as a pitcher; honorable mention All-Centex by the Austin American-Statesman; and 2nd team all-state by the Texas H.S. Baseball Coaches Association. Chris was recruited by Baylor, Southwest Texas State University, McLennan County Community College, and Hill Junior College. He signed with Hill JC and pitched a no-hitter against Northeast Junior College as a freshman in 1993. He then transferred to UMHB and pursued a degree in physical education but was ineligible for the 1994 season due to a lack of credit hours and thus sat out a year. UMHB, under Coach Ben Shipp, was 22-20 in 1995 in Chris’ soph year and he was 3-1 on the year with the only loss being to St. Francis which was ranked #7 in the nation. In his junior year he had a 3-0 record as a pitcher for the 1996 Crusaders who were 30-17-1 on the year. Chris left UMHB in June of 1996 to begin working at Wilson Art after his marriage that year to Melanie Koslovsky of Temple. Their first child, Colton, was born in 2001. In 2001 Chris Regan, 27, and his wife, Melanie, and son, Colton, lived in Belton. Jason Regan was an all-state pitcher/shortstop on the 1994 Belton High School baseball team that won the state 4A championship and gave perhaps the greatest clutch performance in a single game in Tiger sports history when he hit two dramatic home runs in a come-from-behind victory in the state semi-finals. He was also all-state as a junior and later played pro baseball in the Seattle Mariners’ organization. Jason Robert Regan was born on June 30, 1976, in Killeen TX to Mike and Rose Regan and was the youngest of two children, Chris and Jason. Jason was an all-state pitcher for the Tigers in 1992 and Jason and Chris are the third “brother combo” to make all state at Belton after Bernard and David Bartek and Toby and Brock Rumfield. Jason was raised in Belton and attended Miller Heights Elementary, Belton Jr. H.S. and Belton H.S., graduating in 1994. He starred in both football and baseball at Belton H.S. and was a soph on the 1991 Tiger football team that was 9-2, won District, and lost to Chapel Hill in Bi-District. He was a starting DB at 5'9" & 160 lbs. He was also a starting DB as a junior on the 1992 Tiger team that was 6-3-1 on the year and was named 2nd team all-district on defense. He was named 1st team all-district as a DB as a 5'10" & 170 lb. senior on the Tiger team that was 9-3, District Champs, beat Anderson 48-14 in Bi-District, and lost to Westlake 21-17 in the Regional. In baseball as a soph in 1992 Jason hit .230 with 16
RBI’s & 1 HR for the 25-5 Tigers and was named honorable mention all-state.
As a junior in 1993 he was named 1st team all-state by the Texas H.S. Baseball
Coaches Association as a third baseman/pitcher after he hit .471 with 45 RBI’s,
8 doubles, 5 triples, 7 home runs, and 12 SB’s and was 10-3 as a pitcher with an
ERA of 2.30 He was also named the MVP of District 25-4A and
All-Centex by the Waco Tribune-Herald.
On the year (1994) Regan was 15-2 with a ERA of 1.94 as a pitcher and hit .430 with 8 homers and 52 RBI’s. He was named 1st team all-district and co-MVP of the District; 1st team All-Centex; 1st team all-state tournament; and 1st team all-state by the Baseball Coaches Association. He was selected to play in the Texas High School Coaches All-Star game on June 25, 1994, in the Astrodome and played third base for the South team. In 2001 Jason still holds Belton school records for his 53 runs scored in 1994; 5 triples in 1993 & 1994; 42 walks in 1994; and 15 wins as a pitcher in 1994. He held the school records for most doubles (12 in 1994) until Thomas Melvin hit 17 doubles in 1999; the most SO’s as a pitcher (with 121 in 1994) until Ian Pecoraro struck out 143 in 2000; and for the most innings pitched in a season (100 & 2 /3) until Caleb Irwin pitched 105 innings in 2000. Jason was recruited by the University of Texas, LSU, Miami, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech but signed with Blinn College where he played for two years. (1995 & 1996). He was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in 1996 and played five years (1996-2000) in the minor leagues at the A and AA level with Everett WA, Appleton WI, Lancaster CA, and New Haven CT. He hit 31 HR’s for Appleton/Lancaster in 1997. In 2001 Jason Regan, 25, lived in Belton while recovering from an injury and hoped to return to baseball in 2002. Darren Brinkley made all-state in both football and baseball as a senior in 1993-94 becoming only the fourth Tiger athlete (after Richard Inman in 1958-59 & 1959-60, David Bartek in 1969-70 and Brett Stafford in 1982-83) to make all-state in two sports in the same year. He still holds school records for the most receptions, most TD receptions, and most receiving yards in a season and a career and later played three years of varsity football at Texas A&M. Darren Demon Brinkley was born on Aug. 7, 1975, in Ft. Worth TX to Joe and Darleen Brinkley and is one of four children (Darren, Chris, Ronda and Sharleen). He grew up in Waco and attended North Waco Elementary before moving to Belton to attend Belton Jr. H.S. and Belton H.S. where he graduated in 1994. His younger sister, Sharleen, played basketball and softball for the 2001 Lady Tigers. Darren became only the second Tiger (after Brett Stafford in 1982-1983) to make all-state in football and baseball. As a junior in baseball in 1993 Darren hit .298 with 23 RBI’s and 4 HR’s and was named 2nd team all-district as an outfielder after the Tigers were 21-11 and Area Champs. As a senior on the 1994 Belton state baseball championship team Darren hit .347 with 5 home runs and 20 stolen bases. (setting a school record which held until 2000 when broken at 23 by Cody Fredenburg). He was one of three Belton seniors (Darren Brinkley, Jason Regan, and Brock Rumfield) named 1st team 4-A all-state (senior David Stroud was named to the 3rd team) by the Texas Sports Writers after the Tigers went 34-6 and won the State Championship. Five Belton players—OF Brinkley, 1B Stroud, and 2B Shayne Drake, and Pitcher/Shortstops Regan and Rumfield----made the U.I.L. All-State Tournament team and Brinkley, Regan, Rumfield, and Stroud were named all CenTex by the Austin American Statesman. Players making all district were Brinkley, Regan, Rumfield, Stroud, Drake, and 3B Brad Washburn on the 1st team and catcher Brad Turner and OF’s Bobby Spradley and Michael Jones on the 2nd team (thus Belton had one player at each of the nine positions make at least all-district). In football Darren was an all-district wide receiver as a soph in 1991 on the 9-2 Belton team that won District and lost to Chapel Hill in Bi-District. He was again all-district as a junior on the 1992 Belton team that was 6-3-1. As a senior Brinkley was a 5'10" 170 lb. all-state receiver for the1993 Belton team that was 9-3 on the year and won District but lost to Westlake 21-17 in the Region. He had 63 catches for 1,318 yards (21 yards per catch) and 7 TD’s. He also returned 15 punts for 174 yards (11.6 average) & 1 TD. In 2001 Brinkley still held the Belton school record for pass receptions and pass receiving yards in a season and for a career. During his 3-year high school career Darren had a Belton school record 119 catches for 2,336 yards and was “one of the most prolific receivers in state high school history.” Darren was named a honorable mention high school All-American and 1st team 4-A all-state team by the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Texas Football Coaches. He was also named 1st team all-district and 1st team All Super-Cen-Tex by the Austin American-Statesman. Darren and Brock Rumfield (the Tiger QB during Darren’s 3 years at receiver) were co-winners of the Tiger Male Athlete of the Year award. Darren also played receiver and cornerback for the South All-Stars in the Texas Football Coaches all-star game in Aug. of 1994. Darren was recruited for football by Texas A&M, LSU, Baylor, Texas Tech, and Minnesota. He signed with A&M and was redshirted for the 1994 season. Darren was plagued by injuries (he had two broken wrists, back spasms, and knee surgery) in his first three years on the varsity (as a freshman on the 1995 Aggie team that was 9-3 on the year; as a soph on the 1996 Aggie team that was 6-6 on the year; and as a junior on the 1997 Aggie team that was 9-4 and Big 12 South champions) but as a senior in 1998 he was injury-free and was a part-time starter as a 5'11" 184 lb. receiver with 4.45 speed in the 40-yd. dash. He caught 9 passes for 105 yards on the year for the 11-3 Aggie team which won the Big 12 Conference title. Brinkley graduated from Texas A&M in December of 1999 with a degree in marketing. In 2001, Darren Brinkley, 26, lived in Littleton, Colorado, where he was an assistant manager for Office Depot. David Moreland won the Class 4-A pole vault championship at the state track meet in Austin on May 13, 1994, after finishing third as a junior and qualifying for the state meet as a sophomore. He ranked among the top ten high school vaulters in the nation as a junior and senior and, in 2001, still held the Belton school record in the pole vault. David Allen Moreland was born on Feb. 5, 1975, in Washington, D.C., to Ralph and Betty Moreland. David and his sister, Olivia, were raised in Belton and attended Lakewood Elementary (where his mother is a teacher), Belton Jr. High School and Belton High School where he graduated in 1994. He was a pole vaulter for all four years in high school and played football as a freshman and soph. David’s pole vaulting career began in the 7th grade at Belton Jr. H.S. under Coach Brent Duncan and he won every pole vault competition he entered in two years except the 8th grade district meet. David’s father, Ralph, built a pole vault training facility at home, read every book he could find on vaulting, and trained with his son reaching a personal best of 12 feet as a 42-year old. In David’s soph year of 1992 he won 1st in the pole vault at District at 14'7" and was 3rd in the region at 14'0" qualifying for the state meet as the 3rd alternate. As a junior in 1993 he was 1st at District at 15'6"; 1st in the regional at 15'7"; and 3rd at the state meet at 15'6" (the same height as the top two vaulters who had fewer misses). Belton finished 2nd in the team competition at the 1993 state 4-A track meet with 26 points to state champion San Angelo Lakeview’s 27 points. Raymond Williams scored 20 of the Tigers’ 26 points by winning the shotput and discus titles while David’s 3rd place finish in the pole vault and Vincent Stowers’ 6th place in the high jump accounted for the other 6 points. David and Raymond Williams traveled to California for the Golden West Invitational (a national high school track meet) in the summer of 1992 but did not place. David was ranked among the top ten high school vaulters in the nation qualifying him as a high school All-American. In the fall of his junior year he placed 2nd (at 15'6") among 70 high school vaulters from across the U.S. at an indoor meet at LSU qualifying as a indoor high school All-American. In his senior year of 1994 David reached a personal meet best of 16'6" placing third at the Texas Relays and cleared 17 feet over 50 times in practice. He vaulted 16'4" at the (Temple) Wildcat Relays breaking the meet and stadium record. He was 1st in District at 16'1"; 1st in the regional at 16'1" (breaking a regional record); and 1st at the state track meet at 16'0" (three vaulters made that height but Moreland won 1st on the basis of fewer misses). He came close to the state 4A record of 16'6" but poor weather (rain and wind) prevented his breaking the record. David was ranked among the top ten high school vaulters in the nation as a senior qualifying him again as a high school All-American. He again finished 2nd at the national indoor meet at LSU in he fall of his senior year and thus was an indoor All-American for the 2nd straight year. David was recruited by Texas Tech and other schools and signed with Levelland Jr. College but dropped out during his freshman year of 1995. He married Stephanie Peterson of Jarrell in 1999. In 2001 David Moreland, 26, lived in Jarrell TX and worked as a commercial plumber in Austin. Brock Rumfield, a star pitcher and shortstop on the 1994 Belton Tiger State Champion baseball team, was named to the 4-A All-State baseball team for 1994 and was voted the player of the year in 4-A. Brock was a three-sport star (baseball, football and basketball) and, as Belton’s quarterback, passed for more yards during his senior season (1994) than any player in Texas in 4-A or 5-A. In 2001 he still holds several school records in baseball and football. Brock Rumfield was born on Nov. 20, 1975, in Temple TX to Shelby and LaVerne Rumfield. He was raised in Belton and attended Central Elementary School, Belton Jr. H.S., and Belton H.S., graduating in 1994. He came from an impressive “line” of Rumfields at Belton H.S. as his father, Shelby Rumfield played football, basketball and baseball from 1962-1965 and still coaches at BHS; his brother, Toby, was a 4-year starter in football, baseball and basketball; and his brother, Shayne, was a football, basketball and baseball star in 1986-88. Brock, a 6'3 190 lb. QB, was a two-year starter for the 1992 Tigers who were 6-3-1 and for the 1993 Tigers who were 9-3, won district, beat Anderson 48-14 in Bi-District and lost to Westlake in the regional. As a senior Brock completed 164 passes for 2,771 yards and 19 touchdowns (all school records which remained in 2001) leading all 4-A & 5-A quarterbacks in the state in total yards. He was named 1st team all-district; All-Centex by the Austin American-Statesman; and honorable mention all-state. He set school records (which still remained in 2001) for passes completed in a career with 307 and for total career yards at 5,009. He was voted Belton’s top back in 1992 and 1993; most conscientious in 1993; and the top male athlete in 1994. Brock was also a starting 6'3" forward in basketball as a soph and junior but skipped basketball as a senior to concentrate on baseball. As impressive as his football stats were, his baseball stats were even more impressive. As a freshman he hit .313 with 11 RBI’s for the 1991 Tigers who were 20-6 on the year. As a soph for the 1992 Tigers (25-5) he was named 1st team all-district as he had a 5-1 record with an 0.88 ERA (still a school record in 2001) as a pitcher and (as an outfielder) hit .333 with 26 RBI’s and 3 HR’s. As a junior in 1993 Brock was a 1st team all-district and all-Centex pitcher with a 7-2 record and a 2.13 ERA and hit .413. for the Tiger team that was 26-11 and Area Champs. As a senior Brock and Jason Regan led Belton to a 35-6 season record and the 4-A state baseball championship. Brock was the winning pitcher in the semi-final and finals as he came on in relief to win the semi-final game against Carthage and then pitched a 5-hit shutout to defeat Big Spring 5-0 in the final (10 innings of shutout ball over the two state tournament games). He also played shortstop and led the team for the season hitting .420 with 9 HR’s, and 52 RBI’s. Brock and three other Tigers were named to the 4-A All-State team by the Texas H.S. Baseball Coaches and he was named 4-A player of the year for the state of Texas. He was also named by the Austin American-Statesman as All-Centex Player of the Year. Brock and Jason Regan were both named all-district at pitcher and shortstop and shared the MVP award for the District. In 2001 Brock still holds three school baseball records: 131 at bats in 1994; 55 hits in 1994; and 0.88 ERA in 1992. Brock was recruited by numerous Division I schools for both football and baseball (and was chosen in the 21st round in the pro baseball draft by the LA Dodgers) but chose to sign with McLennan County Community College where he was all-conference for two years (1994-1995). He played one year (1996) for the University of Texas and one year (1997) for Lubbock Christian where he was all-conference and hit .390 with 14 HR’s and 60 RBI’s. Brock played for two years (1998-1999) in the Baltimore Orioles organization and made it to the AA level at Bowie MD before he retired from baseball. In 2001, Brock Rumfield, 25, and single, lived in Temple and worked in research for the Effectiveness Registry at Scott & White Hospital. He graduated from Lubbock Christian in 2000 with a major in Exercise and Sports Science. David Stroud was one of four Tigers (with Jason Regan, Brock Rumfield, and Darren Brinkley) named all-state by the Texas H.S. Baseball Coaches Association after the Tigers won the state 4-A baseball championship in 1994. He later played at Ranger Jr. College and Dallas Baptist University and finished his career with a trip to the NAIA World Series. David Lynn Stroud was born on Nov. 15, 1975, in Houston TX to Lynn and Pat Stroud and was one three children (Marcie, Jessica and David). David was raised in Holland where he attended elementary and Junior H.S. He moved to Belton before his soph year and graduated from Belton H.S. in 1994. He played baseball and football and was a power-lifter during his high school years. As a soph in 1991 David was a 6'0" 205 lb. DE on the 9-2 Belton team that won district and lost to Chapel Hill in bi-district. He was a 6'0" 215 lb. DE as a junior in 1992 on the 6-3-1 Belton team and was named 1st team all-district. As a senior in 1993 he was a 6'1" 225 lb. DE on the 9-3 Belton team that won district, beat Anderson 48-14 in bi-district and lost to Westlake 21-17 in the Regional. He was again named 1st team all-district and honorable mention 4-A all-state on defense. Stroud was also a “powerlifter” and competed in the state powerlifting tournament at the Berger Center in Austin in April of 1994. The Belton team was comprised of seniors David Stroud, J.R. Mitchell and Benny Carr with Stroud placing 7th in the state competition in the 240 pound weight class. He had also qualified for the state tournament as a junior but didn’t go because of a mix-up in notification. At the Belton awards banquet in 1994 Stroud and J.R. Mitchell shared the award for “Outstanding Lifter.” David was a soph first baseman on the 1992 Tiger varsity baseball team that was 25-5 on the year and hit .286 in 28 at bats. He was named 1st team all-district at 1B as a junior on the Tiger team that was 21-11. As a senior in 1994 Stroud was the first baseman and clean-up hitter for Belton and was the team’s only left-handed batter in the starting lineup. He hit .314 with 4 homers, 8 doubles and 28 RBI’s and was one of four Belton seniors (Stroud, Darren Brinkley, Jason Regan, and Brock Rumfield) named to the 4-A all-state baseball team by the Texas H.S. Baseball Coaches Association after the Tigers went 34-6 and won the 1994 State Championship. Stroud was named 3rd team all-state while the other three were named to the 1st team. Five Belton players—1B Stroud, 2B Shayne Drake, OF Darren Brinkley and Pitcher/Shortstops Jason Regan and Brock Rumfield----made the U.I.L. All-State Tournament team and Stroud, Brinkley, Regan, and Rumfield were named all CenTex by the Austin American Statesman. Players making all-district in 25-4A were Stroud, Brinkley, Regan, Rumfield, Drake, and 3B Brad Washburn on the 1st team and catcher Brad Turner and OF’s Bobby Spradley and Michael Jones on the 2nd team (thus Belton had one player at each of the nine positions make at least all-district). Stroud played two years (1995-1996) at Ranger Junior College where he was all-conference, all-regional and honorable mention all-american. He played in the National Junior College All-Star game at Blinn College in 1996. He then played at Dallas Baptist University in 1998 and 1999 and finished his college baseball career with a trip to the NAIA College World Series in 1999. In 2001, David Stroud, 26, lived in Ft. Worth where he was completing his degree at UTA and working as a sport co-ordinator at a Y.M.C.A. and as a certified personal trainer. He and his wife, Chandra, have two girls, Mykayla, 2, and Mykenzie, 6 months. Brad Turner was named to the Texas H.S. Baseball Coaches all-state team in his junior (1995) and senior (1996) years and was the starting catcher as a sophomore on Belton’s 1994 state championship team. He was named to USA TODAY’s high school All-American team in 1996 and played in high school and junior college all-star games before concluding his career at UMHB. Brad Turner was born in Temple TX on Aug. 9, 1977, to Frank and Marilyn Turner. He and his brother, Brett Turner, and sisters Brenna Wilson and Donna Russell, grew up in Belton and attended Leon Heights Elementary School, Belton Jr. H.S., and Belton H.S., where Brad graduated in 1996. His father, Frank Turner, Jr., was on the Belton school board from 1982-88 and 1992-98. The Turner family came to Belton in 1951 and purchased Monteith Abstract (which was founded in 1876) and has owned the business for 50 years. As a youth Brad played soccer and basketball and was district medalist in golf in the 7th and 8th grade. He showed early promise in baseball in Little League and, as a 15-year-old, was a pitcher and shortstop on his Belton Raider team which won the state championship in the Texas Teenage Baseball Association. In 1993 Brad was a soph backup QB for the Tiger football team that was 9-3, District and Bi-district Champs and lost to Austin Westlake in the Regional. He was Belton’s starting quarterback as a junior on the 1994 Tiger team that was 6-4 on the year and was named 2nd team all-district after throwing for 1,848 yards with 142 completions in 290 attempts and 13 TD’s. As a 5'10" 175lb. senior he threw for 1,411 yards (89 completions in 188 attempts) for the 1995 Tiger team that was 4-6. Brad was also the Tiger’s punter for three years and was the 1st team all-district punter as a soph. He averaged 38.7 yards per kick as a soph, 39.3 as a junior and 35.6 as a senior. In baseball Brad was a four-year starter for Belton at catcher and as a sophomore in 1994 was the only non-senior in the starting lineup for the entire year on the Tiger team that was 35-6 and State Champions. He hit .269 with 33 RBI’s, 1 HR, and 10 doubles and was named 2nd team all-district as Belton placed 9 position players on the (1st and 2nd ) all-district teams. The “highlight game” for Brad was the last playoff game against Austin Westlake when he hit a game winning single with two outs and two strikes against him. Turner hit .373 with 33 RBI’s 8 HR’s (including 3 grand slams) as a junior on the 1995 Tiger team that was 12-13 on the year. He was named 1st team all-district; All-Centex by the Austin American-Statesman, Temple Daily Telegram and Killeen Daily Herald; and all-state by the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association. As a senior in 1996 Belton was only 17-11 on the year but Brad hit .417 with 31 RBI’s and 8 Hrs and was named 1st team all-district for the third straight year; MVP of the Killeen Daily Herald’s Area All-Star Baseball Team; SuperCentex by the Waco Tribune-Herald; and all-state for the second straight year by the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association. He was also named to USA TODAY’s high school All-American team and was the starting catcher for the South in the Texas High School Baseball Coaches’ all-star game. Brad was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1996 pro baseball draft but signed with McLennan County Community College where he was an all conference catcher for two years and was the starting catcher (going 2 for 4) for the winning South team in the NJCAA All-Star game. He then signed with Southwest Texas State U. but transferred to UMHB where he hit .405 as the Crusaders’ starting catcher as a junior in 1999. He did not play as a senior (because of vertigo). In 2001 Brad Turner, 23, was single and living in Belton. He was scheduled to graduate from UMHB in Dec of 2001 with a double major in management and marketing and planned to go into the family business, Monteith Abstract & Title Company. Outfielder Brian Mraz was named all-state by the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association after hitting .451 in his senior season of 1996. He later played at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor and Ranger Junior College and lived in Temple in 2001. Brian Mraz was born on Aug. 30, 1978, in Temple to Dave and Shelley Wilde and is the youngest of seven children. He was raised in the Belton/Temple area and attended Lakewood Elementary, Belton Jr. H.S., Temple H.S. (as a freshman and soph) and Belton H.S. where he graduated in 1996. Brian played football as a senior and baseball as a junior and senior at BHS. In football the 5'10 185 lb. Mraz was a DB/WR in 1995 for the 4-6 (3-2) Tigers under Coach Jim Rodrique and was named honorable mention all-district as a senior in his only year of football. Belton upset Taylor 14-7 in the season finale to knock them out of a district co-championship. Brian’s baseball career began at the age of 5 with T-ball and continued thru the Midget and Little Leagues. From the ages of 15-18 he played for the Centex Mavericks, a “select” team comprised of boys from Temple, Belton and other central Texas towns that included three other (future) Belton Wall of Honor members (Brad Turner, Kyle Tidwell and Pat Bishop). Brian played for the Temple H.S. varsity as a soph but then transferred to BHS where he played as a junior and senior. As a junior in 1995 Mraz hit .380 (leading the team) with 19 RBI’s, 8 doubles, and 2 HR’s and scored 18 runs for the Belton team which was 12-13 (3-7) on the year. He was named 1st team all-district as an outfielder and won the team’s “Big Stick” award. As senior in 1996 Mraz hit .451 (.500 in 10 district games) with 27 RBI’s and 3 HR’s for the 17-11 Tigers. He played centerfield and was known for his speed and throwing arm (against Taylor, he threw out a runner at home from 354 feet away in centerfield). He was named 1st team all-district; all-centex; and all-state by the Texas H.S. Baseball Coaches Association. The all-state team also included Brian’s teammate, Brad Turner. Mraz again won the team’s “Big Stick” award after leading the team in hitting. Mraz was recruited by UMHB, Dallas Baptist, Houston Baptist and several junior colleges and signed with UMHB where he played in the fall of the 1996-1997 year before leaving school. He sat out a year (1998) before playing at Ranger Junior College in 1999. In 2001 Brian Mraz, 23, lived in Temple with his wife, Chasidy, and daughter, Kamryn, 2, and worked as a sales representative for Don Ringler Chevrolet. Kyle Tidwell was one of four Tigers named all-state by the Texas H.S. Baseball Coaches Association in 1997 after Belton reached the Regional Quarterfinals becoming the 9th of 18 all-state baseball players at Belton during the 15-year coaching tenure of his father, David Tidwell. Kyle Tidwell was born on Sept. 19, 1978, in Bay City TX to David and Lesa Tidwell. He was the youngest of three children. The Tidwell family moved to Belton in 1986 when Kyle was 6 and has remained in Belton (except for the 1988-89 school year when they were in Spring Hill) since then. Kyle’s older brothers, twins Chad and Tyson, were also outstanding Belton athletes as Tyson was co-winner of the Top Male Athlete award in 1992 after leading his team to the district title in three sports, football (where he was the District offensive MVP as a WR), baseball and golf. Chad was Belton’s QB in 1991 and all-district in baseball in 1992.. In football Kyle was a starter (and honorable mention all-district) at WR as a 5'9" 170 lb. soph on the 1994 Tigers who were 6-4 on the year. He was a 2nd team all-district WR as a junior on the 1995 team that was 4-6. He was again 2nd team all-district as a WR as a senior on the 1996 team that was 0-10 (in Belton’s first year in 5A). Kyle had 42 catches on the year for 594 yards and 5 TDs. He was given the team’s Best Back and Most Conscientious awards and was voted Belton’s Outstanding Male Athlete for the 1996-1997 year following in the footsteps of his brother, Tyson, who won the same award five years earlier. Kyle’s baseball career began at the age of 5 in T-ball in Houston and continued in Belton where he played in the Midget League and then on the Athletics who finished 3rd in the state in the Little League when Kyle was 12. At 14 his Belton team, the Raiders, coached by his Dad and John Messer and led by Kyle and Brad Turner, won the 1993 state championship of the Texas Teenage League. At 15 he played for the Centex Mavericks, a “select” team comprised of boys from Temple, Belton and other central Texas towns that included three other (future) Belton Wall of Honor members (Brad Turner, Kyle Tidwell and Pat Bishop). At 16 he played for the Austin Slam and at 17 with Belton’s “select” team. In the summer after his senior year (1997), Kyle played shortstop for the Austin Bat who finished 3rd in the national AAU tournament in Orlando FL. Tidwell’s Belton High school career began “at the top” as he was a freshman reserve infielder on Belton’s 1994 state championship team coached by his father and started the last five games of the year (including the two state tournament games) at third base. He and soph catcher Brad Turner were the only non-seniors in the starting line-up at the end of the championship year. As a soph in 1995 Kyle was a 2nd team all-district shortstop on the 12-13 Tiger team and hit .338 with 12 RBI’s & 1 HR. As a junior in 1996 on the 17-1l Tiger team he hit .396 with 21 RBI’s & 1 HR and was named 1st team all-district. As a senior in 1997 on the Tiger team that was 21-13 and reached the regional quarterfinals before losing to Round Rock (the eventual state champions that year), he hit .364 with 28 RBI’s and 4 HR’s and was named 1st team all-district at shortstop; all-centex by the Waco Tribune-Herald; and all-state by the Texas H.S. Baseball Coaches Association (with teammates Bry Ewan and Pat Bishop). In the summer of 1997 he and teammate Pat Bishop played for Team Texas in the SunBelt Classic in Shawnee OK against all-star teams from several other states. Kyle was recruited by several schools and signed with the University of Texas at Arlington where he redshirted in the 1998 season before transferring to McLennan County Community College for the 1999 season. He then played the 2000 season as a soph for UMHB and was the Crusader’s starting shortstop hitting .279 with 10 doubles, 2 HR’s and 25 RBIs. He also started every game in 2001 and hit .240 with 19 RBI’s. In 2001 Kyle Tidwell, 22, was a senior at UMHB majoring in computer information and was scheduled to graduate in 2002. His father, David Tidwell, 50, was entering his 16th year as Tiger as Tiger head baseball coach having produced 18 all-state players in his first 15 years in Belton. Chad Tidwell, 27, was head baseball coach at Northeast Community College in Mt. Pleasant TX and Tyson Tidwell, 27, was a golf pro in Las Vegas. Pat Bishop was one of three Tigers named to the Texas H.S. Baseball Coaches Association’s all-state team in 1997 after Belton was 21-13 on the year reaching the Regional Quarterfinals. He later played at Southwest Texas State University, Temple College and the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. Pat Bishop was born on June 6,1979, 1979, in Killeen TX to Larry and Dayle Bishop and was the third of three children (Michelle, Stacy, and Pat). Pat was raised in Killeen where he attended Haybranch Elementary School, Rancier Jr. H.S., and Killeen High School before moving to Belton for his junior year and graduating from Belton H.S. in 1997. He played football and baseball at Killeen H.S. as a freshman and soph and played football as a junior and baseball as a junior and senior at Belton. As a junior in 1995 Pat was a 5'9" 130 lb. back-up WR for the Tiger varsity football team that was 4-6 on the year. He did not play football as a senior deciding to concentrate on baseball. Pat’s baseball career began at the age of 7 in Killeen in the Midget League and continued thru Little League. While in Belton at 15 he played for the Centex Mavericks, a “select” team comprised of boys from Temple, Belton and other central Texas towns that included three other (future) Belton Wall of Honor members (Brad Turner, Kyle Tidwell and Brian Mraz). At 16 he played for the Austin Slam and at 17 for the Baseball Academy (of Round Rock) team which finished 2nd in the national AAU tournament in the summer of 1996. Bishop’s Belton baseball career began during his junior year with the 1996 Tigers who were 17-11 (6-4) on the year. He was joined on the Tiger team in 1996 by his older brother, Stacy, a senior, the 1st team all-district designated hitter. Pat started at second base and hit .417 with 9 RBI’s and 2 HR’s and was named 2nd team all-district and all-centex. In his senior year of 1997 the Tigers were 21-13 and reached the regional quarterfinals before losing to Round Rock H.S. (the eventual state champs that year). Pat hit .375 with 35 RBI’s and 9 HRs and was named 1st team all-district at second base and all-centex. He and teammates Bry Ewan and Kyle Tidwell were named to the all-state team by the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association. Pat was named the MVP of the 1997 Tigers for his efforts as a second baseman, pitcher and one of the top hitters on the team. Pat and Kyle Tidwell played for Team Texas in the SunBelt Classic, a national high school all-star tournament played in Oklahoma in the summer of 1997. Bishop was recruited by several colleges after his senior year and signed with Southwest Texas State University where he played 20 games (starting 3) on the varsity as a freshman outfielder in 1998. He then transferred to Temple College where he started for the Leopards in 1999 as a soph and hit .350 with 8 HRs. After graduating from Temple College in 1999 Bishop was offered a scholarship to play baseball at Incarnate Word College in San Antonio and UMHB and signed with UMHB where he had to sit out the 2000 season due to a broken jaw and heart surgery. He did play part of the 2001 season as a junior at UMHB before deciding to end his baseball career for health reasons. In 2001 Pat Bishop lived in Belton and attended UMHB where he expects to graduate in 2003 with a degree in accounting. Bry Ewan was considered the top high school catcher in Texas in his senior year of 1997 at Belton High School as he was named 1st team 5A all-state, honorable mention All-American by USA Today, and was the starting catcher and clean-up hitter in the 4A-5A Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association’s All-Star game in June at The Ballpark in Arlington. He later played four seasons in the minor leagues in the Atlanta Braves’ organization before an injury ended his career. Bry was born on Aug. 2, 1978, in Oklahoma City OK to Ken and Lali Ewan. He and his younger sister, Kendall, were raised in Georgetown where he started his baseball career in T-Ball, Little League, etc. At the age of ten, Bry hit 3 HR’s to lead his team to the regional championship at Kerrville. He played on the Georgetown H.S. varsity and JV team as a freshman and missed his soph year due to a broken hand. Bry transferred to Belton for his junior year of 1996 and was a 2nd team all-district third baseman on the 4-A Tiger team that was 17-11 (6-4) on the year and finished 3rd in District. In Bry’s senior season of 1997 the Tigers were moved up to 5-A and were 21-13 on the year, 2nd in the District, and lost to Round Rock in the Regional quarterfinals. Bry was 1st team all-district and hit .404 with 5 HR’s and 16 RBI’s during district play. For the year he hit .392 with 8 HR’s and 31 RBI’s and, as catcher, threw out 73% of potential base stealers. Ewan was named to the 1st team 5-A all-state team selected by Texas High School Baseball Coaches in 1997; the Super Centex MVP by the Killeen Daily Herald; Super Cen-Tex by the Waco Tribune and all-Cen-Tex by the Austin American Statesman. He was chosen to play in the Texas High School Baseball Coaches all-star game played on June 28, 1997, at The Ballpark in Arlington becoming only the third Belton player (Jason Regan and Brad Turner were the others) to be chosen for the all-star game. Bry was the starting catcher and clean-up hitter for the South team. Ewan signed before his senior season of 1997 to play baseball for the University of Texas but then decided to forego college baseball after he was drafted in the 7th round by the Atlanta Braves. He hit .307 with 15 RBI’s, 3 HR’s, 3 doubles, and 1 triple with the Gulf Coast Braves in the rookie league in 1997 under the tutelage of the legendary Frank Howard. He was voted by the Braves organization as the player with the best “raw power” in their minor leagues after his rookie season. Bry was promoted to the Class A Macon GA team for the 1998 season but, unfortunately, was injured at Macon in a home plate collision that crushed his cheekbone, orbital eye surface, nose and jaw. Team doctors warned Bry that 98% of people with such an eye injury never see normally again. Undaunted, he reported to Class A Eugene OR six weeks after the injury to try a comeback which continued the next season at Class A Jamestown NY. However, Ewan never regained his hitting power after the injury and retired from baseball after a 4-year minor league career during which he had the opportunity to catch (later Brave stars) Denny Neagle, John Smoltz and Kevin Milwood. Bry married Kelly Martindale, a 1999 Belton High School graduate, in Jan. of 2001 and the couple returned to Belton in 2001 so that Bry could complete his college education (at the Braves’ expense) at Temple College and (later at the University of Texas). Bry has joined his father at his insurance agency in Georgetown where he will work thru and after college. Jennifer Beach was named all-state in softball by the Texas Sportswriters Association in 1997 after her senior season at Belton H.S. She became the first BHS female athlete to win a Division I athletic scholarship and played four years at Texas Tech. In 2006 Jennifer Beach Locklin is a Middle School teacher/coach in Georgetown where she lives with her husband and two children. Jennifer Faye Beach was born on Dec. 18, 1978, in Ft. Worth TX to Bill and Judy Beach and was raised in Belton with her siblings, Billy, Angie and Kimberly. Jennifer attended Central Elementary School, Belton Jr. H.S. and graduated from Belton H.S. in 1997. Her 13-year softball career began early in Belton as she played T-Ball and later played for the AMC Animals and the ASA Cen-Tex Babes who advanced to Nationals in Rockford IL in 1996. Jennifer played several sports as a youth and through high school. She was a starter as a soph and junior on the Tiger volleyball team which won District and Bi-District titles in 1994 & 1995 and was twice named 1st Team All District, including “Newcomer of the Year” in 1994. She also played on the Belton varsity basketball team as a soph and junior (as point guard) and was named All-District in 1996. She also ran track in her junior year and was named the Belton Female Athlete of the Year in both 1996 & 1997. Beach was best known for her exploits in softball as she was a four-year starter; a four-time team MVP; and four-time 1st team All District for Coach Derek Tyler. The Lady Tigers finished 2nd in district (13-7) in her soph year (1995); 3rd (21-10, 4-4) in her junior year (1996) and 1st (17-6, 10-0) in her senior year (1997). Jennifer hit a team leading .446 in her senior season in which Belton was the undefeated district champion in the school’s first year in 5A and lost to Klein Oak in the 2nd round of the playoffs. She hit .452 during district as a senior including a home run to knock Temple out of the race. Beach was named the MVP of District 13-5A as a senior in 1997 and was 1st team All District for four years. Also in 1997 she was named to the Waco Tribune’s Super Cen-Tex All-Star Team and to the Texas Sportswriters’ 2nd team 5-A all-state softball team at shortstop. Jennifer was recruited by several schools including Dartmouth, UT Arlington, Kansas Wesleyan and UT and signed with Texas Tech where she was a four year (1998-2001) starter at third base and shortstop. Tech was ranked #17 in the nation in 1998. Jennifer also performed well in the classroom at Belton and Texas Tech as she graduated from BHS “with honors” in 1997 and was awarded the “Superintendents Award” and the “Don Ringler award.” At Texas Tech she was named to the Big 12 All-Academic First Team, the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll and the President’s Honor Roll and Dean’s List after maintaining a 4.0 GPA in 2001. She graduated from Tech in 2002 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Sport Sciences with a concentration in Fitness and Wellness and a minor in English. Beach was also involved in community work in high school with Teen Involvement mentoring elementary students and at the Ronald McDonald House and the Special Olympics. At Tech Jennifer participated with her softball team in Habitat for Humanity helping to build homes. In 2006 Jennifer Beach Locklin is teaching gifted and talented math and coaching volleyball at Benold Middle School in Georgetown where she lives with her husband, Brad Locklin (a former Tiger baseball and football player), and their children, Kade, 3, and Brooke, 1.
Rocky Allen was named all-state by the Texas H.S. Baseball Coaches Association after his senior season of 1998 and was joined on the all-state team by teammate Greg Hughes. He later played and graduated from Temple College and lived and worked in Temple in 2001. Rocky Allen was born on Jan. 28, 1980, in Temple to Claude and Beckie Allen. He is one of three children (Eugene, Rocky and Ashley) and was raised in Troy and Temple but transferred to Belton H.S. as a freshman in 1994. Rocky played football as a freshman and soph and baseball for four years at BHS In football Rocky played on the freshman team in 1994 and, as a 5'10" 180 lb. LB, was a starter on defense for the 1995 Tigers who were 4-6 under Coach Jim Rodrique. He did not play football in his junior or senior years after deciding to concentrate on baseball. Rocky saw limited action at third base as a freshman for the 1995 Tiger baseball team which was 12-13 on the year. He was a soph outfielder for the 1996 Tigers who were 17-11 on the year. As a junior in 1997 he was named 2nd team all-district after playing in the outfield and hitting .268 with 27 RBI’s and 2 HR’s for the 21-13 Tigers who went to the regional quarterfinals in 5-A. As a senior in 1998 he was a pitcher/outfielder for the 21-12 Tigers who won their 5-A district and lost in Bi-district. He hit .359 with 31 RBI’s and 3 HR’s and was named 1st team all-district; All-Area by the Killeen Daily Herald; and all-state in 5A by the Texas H.S. Baseball Coaches Association. His teammate, Greg Hughes, was also named to the all-state team. Rocky was recruited by Arkansas, Dallas Baptist, St. Mary’s, Blinn Junior College, San Jacinto Junior College, Ranger Junior College and Temple College and signed with Temple College where he played for one year (1999) and was a part-time starter in the outfield. He did not play as a soph and graduated from Temple College in 2000 with an A.A. degree in business management. In 2000, Rocky Allen, was self-employed in remodeling and construction and lived and worked in Temple. Greg Hughes was named to the Texas H.S. Baseball Coaches Association all-state team as a senior in 1998 after leading Belton to the bi-district championship. He went on to play baseball at Temple College and Mary Hardin-Baylor University. Greg Hughes was born May 29, 1980, in Temple to Michael and Peggy Hughes and was raised in Belton with his older sister, Shelley. Greg’s maternal grandfather Glenn Lowe, was a football and track star at Texas Tech University and served as principal of Belton High School from 1956-1969. Greg’s mother has taught English at BHS since 1971 and his father is currently employed by Spinn Drywall. Greg attended Leon Heights Elementary School, Belton Jr. H.S. and Belton H.S., graduating in 1998. He played soccer as a freshman and football as a sophomore but concentrated on baseball his last two years in high school. In his soph year of 1996 he played on the JV baseball team and (at the end of the year) the varsity team which was 17-11 on the year. As a junior in 1997 Greg played first base and hit .322 (.475 during district play) with 28 RBI’s and 1 HR and was named 1st team all-district after the 21-13 Tigers won Bi-District over Round Rock Westwood but lost to Round Rock H.S. (who won state that year) in the regional quarterfinals. As a senior in 1998 the 6'1" 210 lb. left-handed first baseman and pitcher led the Tigers to a 21-12 record and the District championship. After a bye in bi-district the Tigers lost to Klein Oak in the Area round of the playoffs. Greg hit .423 on the year with 34 RBI’s and 7 HR’s. He also posted a 3-1 record with 4 saves as a pitcher. In a doubleheader against Temple H.S. Greg pitched a complete game one-hitter in the first game and pitched the first four innings of the second game. For the day Greg was 4 for 6 with 1 HR and 4 RBI’s and struck out 14 batters. He led District 13-5A with 6 HR’s and was second in batting average and on-base percentage. Greg received the team MVP award and the Tiger Legacy Award. He was named 1st team all-district; MVP of the District; 1st team all-area; 1st team All-Centex; 1st team Super-Centex; and all-state in 5A by the Texas H.S. Baseball Coaches Association. His teammate, Rocky Allen, was also named to the all-state team. Greg was recruited by the University of Iowa, the University of Dallas, Dallas Baptist, UMHB, San Jacinto J.C. and Temple College. He signed with Temple College but missed most of the 1999 season (his freshman year) because of a broken foot. He was the starting first baseman for Temple College as a soph in 2000 and received a baseball scholarship to play at UMHB but missed most of his junior year of 2001 with a severe ankle injury. He plans to graduate from UMHB with a major in exercise and sports science and intends to coach football and baseball. Josh Tubbs, a senior defensive lineman, was named to the Texas Sports Writers Association’s all-state team in 1998 and received a football scholarship to the University of Houston. He also excelled in the track and field winning the discus at the prestigious Texas Relays and placing sixth in the state in the shotput as a senior. Josh was born on Nov. 27, 1980, in Los Angeles CA to Rocky & Ruth Tubbs and was one of four children. The family moved to Belton when Josh was in the 6th grade and he attended Belton Jr. High School and Belton High School, graduating in 1999. Josh played several sports as a youth but concentrated on football and track & field at Belton. Tubbs threw the shotput and discus for the Tiger track team and had a personal best shotput of 56'2.5" at the A&M Consolidated meet as a junior in 1997. As a senior he won the discus (170'9") at the prestigious Texas Relays in April of 1998 and had a personal best of 186'9" (just short of the school record of 189'9.5") at the A&M Consolidated meet. He won the shotput (55'2") and discus (174'7") at the District meet and finished second in the shotput (at 54'1") at the Region IV track meet but failed to place in the discus as he scratched on all three attempts. He was sixth in the shotput at the state meet with a throw of 55'4". In football Josh started as a 265 lb. sophomore as a defensive lineman on defense and TE and FB on offense on the 1996 Tiger team that was 0-10 in the school’s first year in 5A. As a junior in 1997 Tubbs was a 275 lb. DT and TE on the (second year 5A) 1997 Tiger team that was 2-8. Josh was a 6'2", 280 lb., defensive and offensive lineman as a senior for the 1998 Tiger team that was 8-5 on the year, defeated Austin Travis 14-12 in Bi-District and Hays Consolidated 28-21 in the Regional, and lost 16-14 in the 4A Division I state quarterfinals to Alice. During his senior season Tubbs made 77 solo tackles and 56 assisted tackles and had five caused fumbles, three fumble recoveries, two blocked kicks, 10 sacks for a minus 66 yards and 15 tackles for losses. After his senior season of football Tubbs was named as a 2nd team all-state defensive lineman by the Texas Sports Writers Association (Tiger teammate Brad Bartz, a defensive back, also made the 2nd team defensive team giving the Tigers two players among the top 22 defensive players in 4-A). Tubbs was also named 1st team 25-4A all-district and District MVP on defense; Academic All-District; 1st team Super CenTex by the Waco Tribune; 1st team all CenTex by the Austin American Statesman; 1st team all CenTex by K-EYE-42; and all-state honorable mention by the Texas Coaches Association. Tubbs was recruited by Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and TCU and signed with the University of Houston where he redshirted in the 1999 season. Josh was named freshman All-Conference in 2000; led the freshman team in fumbles caused and fumbles recovered and was 2nd on the team in sacks and QB pressures; held the “powerclean” weightlifting record; and made the Dean’s list and the 3.0 Club; and won the freshman academic excellence award. He transferred to Southwest Texas State University for his soph year of 2001. Brad Bartz was a 4-A all-state defensive back in 1998 who still holds three school track records at Belton H.S. and went on to play football at Southwest Texas State University. Brad Bartz was born in Temple TX on June 18, 1980, the first of two sons (Brad and Brent) born to Allen (Gene) and Maribeth Bartz. He attended Temple schools until the 8th grade when he transferred to Belton and attended Belton Jr. H.S. and Belton H.S., graduating in 1999. His father has been head football and track coach at Belton Jr. H.S. for 20 years (since 1981). Brad participated in football, baseball and basketball thru his junior year when he dropped baseball and basketball to concentrate on football and track. He was also named Mr. Belton High School and Prom King in his senior year; sang with the BHS Madrigals for 3 years; was named to the 1998 Texas Music Education Association’s state choir; and in 1997-98 was named Division I at state in the solo and ensemble contest for Superior Vocal Quality. Brad played two years on the Tiger JV basketball team and was the starting point guard as a soph. Because of injuries (broken wrist and thumb), Brad was mostly used by the varsity baseball team during his soph and junior years as a pinch runner because of his speed. He ran track during his junior and senior years and was a member of the Tiger sprint relay teams which qualified for the Texas Relays both years. In 2001 Bartz still shares three school records set in 1999 with a 41.84 in the 400-meter relay with Brian Baltimore, Lazarus Ross and J. Kyle Banks; a 3:38.0 in the sprint medley relay with Banks, Josh Guerra, and Cody Fredenburg; and a 1:28.14 in the 4 x 200 relay with Banks, Ross and Fredenburg. The sprint relay team won 2nd in district in his senior year. As a soph in 1996 Brad was the starting QB on the JV team that was undefeated in district. The speedy (4.5 in the 40-yd dash and 10.6 in the 100-yd dash) 6'2" 185 lb. junior Bartz was a starting defensive back and back-up QB on the 1997 Tiger varsity which played its second season in 5A and was 2-8. He was named 2nd team all-district and the top Tiger defensive back. In Brad’s senior year of 1998 the Tigers (who returned to 4A after two years in 5A) were 8-5 on the year, won district beat Austin Travis in bi-district and Hays Consolidated in the Region before losing to Alice in the state quarterfinals. Bartz, a 6'2" 190 lb. senior free safety (and back-up QB), had 57 solo tackles and 58 assists along with 6 caused fumbles, two fumble recoveries and five interceptions. He was named the Tiger’s top defensive back; 1st team all-district; 1st team Super Cen-Tex by the Waco Tribune; 2nd team all Cen-Tex by the Austin American Statesman; and 2nd team 4A all-state (defense) by the Texas Sportswriters. Bartz was recruited by Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, Air Force and SWT and signed with SWT. He was redshirted his first year (1999) with the Bobcats and saw limited action as a soph in 2000 after being moved to LB. He decided to forego his football scholarship his last two years to concentrate on his education and upcoming marriage. In 2001, Brad Bartz, 21, was a junior at SWT majoring in clinical psychology and hopes to attend seminary and become a licensed Christian clinical psychologist. He remains active in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and is engaged to be married in May of 2002 to Brooke Ray of Temple and SWT. Thomas Melvin was named to the Texas H.S. Baseball Coaches Association all-state team after his senior season of 1999 in which he broke four school records, was the District MVP, and was invited to play in the Coaches’ all-star game. He received national recognition at 16 when he was named all-tournament on a national champion youth team and by his selection for a national high school all-star team (Team Texas) after his senior year. Thomas Melvin was born on Oct. 9, 1980, in Temple to Rex and Susan Melvin. His parents were divorced when he was 3 and he was raised in Belton by his father and great grandmother, Angie Sherwood, until he was 12 when his father remarried and Thomas and his step-sister, Kristy, were then raised by his father and step-mother, Tammy. Thomas attended Central Elementary School, Belton Jr. H.S. and Belton H.S., graduating in 1999. He played baseball, football, and basketball at BHS. At 5'10" & 175 lbs. he played on the freshman football and basketball teams and split time between the JV and varsity teams as a LB as a soph before a fractured vertebrae ended his football career. Melvin’s baseball career began at the age of 6 in Belton with T-ball and continued thru the Midget and Little Leagues. At 16 his Central Texas Baseball Academy “select” team, the “Dirtdogs,” won the national championship at the “triple crown world series” in Steamboat Springs Colorado and Thomas, a third baseman/pitcher, was named to the all-tournament team. At 17 his Killeen area select team was 3rd at the same national tournament and Thomas was again named to the all-tournament team. At 18 (the summer before his senior year at BHS) he was again a member of the Dirtdogs who finished 2nd at the world series in Lakeland FL with Thomas being named the defensive MVP of the tournament. Thomas’ high school baseball career got off to a slow start as he played on the Tiger JV team as a soph and, as a junior on the varsity in 1998, he hit only .197 with 12 RBI’s and 1 HR as a third baseman/pitcher for the 21-12 Tigers. However, he had a “breakout year” as a 5'11" 200 lb. senior in 1999 as a switch-hitting first baseman/pitcher hitting .485 (just short of the school record of Toby Rumfield in 1991), with 57 RBI’s (a school record), 11 home runs (breaking the school record of 10 set by Jason Bynum in 1988) and 17 doubles (breaking the record of 12 set by Jason Regan in 1994). As a pitcher he was 8-1 with an ERA of 1.83 and struck out 81 batters. His district batting average of .581 was also a school record. His highlight game as a senior came in the first district game against Lake Travis when he pitched a no-hitter and hit a home run in a 10-0 Belton victory. He also had a 22 game hitting streak as a senior. The Tigers, under Coach David Tidwell, finished the year at 26-6, drew a bye in bi-district, and beat Fredericksburg for the Area Championship before losing to Hays Consolidated in the regional quarterfinals. Melvin was named 1st team all-district and district MVP; All-Centex by the Austin American-Statesman; Super Centex by the Waco Tribune-Herald; and all-state by the Texas H.S. Baseball Coaches Association. Three other Belton players (B.J. Soto, Josh Harris and Kory Douglas) also made the Coaches all-state team. He was also invited to play in the Texas H.S. Coaches all-star baseball game as a first baseman for the South team and for Team Texas in a national tournament (the Sunbelt Classic) involving high school all-star teams from 15 states. Thomas was named as one of ten finalists for the Texas High School Player of the Year by Pro-Line Hats and was introduced with the other finalists at the Coaches all-star baseball game. Thomas was recruited by Shiner College, UMHB, McLennan County Community College, Ranger Jr. College and Temple College. He signed with Temple College and played two years (2000 & 2001) hitting .320 with 6 HR’s as a soph on the Leopard team that was 28-24 on the year. He received a baseball scholarship to Texas A&M at Kingsville in 2001 and played for the Javelinas for four years graduating in 2005. In 2008 Thomas and his wife, Lorisa Bartz Melvin, lived in Humble with their two girls, Allison and Madison. Thomas was an assistant baseball coach for the Sheldon ISD. In 2008 Thomas Melvin, 21, attended Texas A&M at Kingsville with a major in kinesiology B.J. Soto was one of four Tigers named to the Texas
H.S. Baseball Coaches Association’s all-state team in 1999 after the 26-6 Tigers
finished the year ranked #4 in Texas. B.J. was named Belton H.S. Top
Athlete as a senior in 1999 after he led the football team in rushing and made
all-state in baseball. He played one year of baseball at Temple College
and remained in Belton in 2001
Soto played on the Tiger JV football team as a soph WR in 1996 and as a 5'6" 155 lb. junior RB in 1997. The 1997 Tiger JV was 9-1 (4-1) on the year and finished second in its 5A District to Copperas Cove. The team defeated Killeen 21-18, Temple 14-12 and Killeen Ellison 21-12 and was led by soph QB Cody Fredenburg and junior Soto who rushed for over 200 yards four times and averaged an incredible 156 yards per game over the 10 game season. B.J. moved up to the varsity as a 5'7" 165 lb. senior in 1998 and played on the 8-5 Tiger team that won district, beat Travis and Hays Consolidated in the playoffs before losing 14-12 to Alice in the state quarterfinals. Early in the year B.J. alternated at RB with Derrell Bivins and Dawoin Rose but, by the beginning of district play, he was the full-time starter and at the end of the season was the Tiger’s top rusher with 809 yards (5.4 yards per carry) and 13 TD’s. He had a 54 yard “broken-field” TD run against Round Rock and a “career game” in Belton’s 16-12 victory over Austin Lake Travis in the first playoff game. Though the game was played in a steady rain on a muddy field, Soto rushed for 207 yards (becoming the first Tiger since Mario Bronson in 1995 to rush for 200 yards) on 19 carries and scored two TD’s, the first on a 65-yard run and the second (with only 6:52 left) on a 63-yard run that sealed the victory. One newspaper noted that the “smallest man on the field made the biggest plays for the Tigers.” In the 28-21 playoff victory over Hays Consolidated Soto scored Belton’s last three TD’s with the last, a 10-yard run, coming with only 1:59 left to win the game. At the end of the season Soto was voted the Tiger’s top offensive back and was named 2nd team all-district. In baseball Soto played on the Tiger sophomore team in 1997 and as a junior moved up to the varsity to play on the 1998 Tigers who were 21-12 on the year. He hit .323 with 9 RBI’s and 1 HR on the year as a utility player (i.e., OF, 3B, 2B, pitcher). He had a “break-out” year as a senior OF for the 1999 Tigers who were 26-6 on the year, won district with an undefeated (15-0) record, drew a bye in bi-district, beat Fredericksburg in the Area, lost to Hays Consolidated in the regional semi-finals and finished the year ranked #4 in Texas. B.J. was the Tigers lead-off hitter and hit .394 on the year with 39 hits (2nd to Thomas Melvin’s 48) including 11 doubles, 2 triples and 2 HRs. He also had 22 RBI’s, scored 41 runs (to lead the team), stole 13 bases (leading the team), walked 26 times (leading the team). He also struck out only 6 times (leading the team) in 99 at bats and made no errors in the OF. During district play he hit .450 with 9 RBI’s, 4 doubles, 2 triples, and 26 runs. Soto was one of six Tigers named 1st team all-district. He and Melvin, Kory Douglas, and Josh Harris were named to the Texas H.S. Baseball Coaches Association’s all-state team. Coach David Tidwell presented B.J. the “Coaches Award” at the annual banquet which meant a great deal to him since he often said he appreciated the fact that Coach Tidwell treated him like a son. B.J. was named Belton’s Top Male Athlete for 1998-1999. B.J. played fall baseball at Temple College in 1999 before leaving school to work for H.E.B. He married Becki Kindred of San Antonio in 1999 and in 2001 B.J. and Becki Soto and Ciara Avory, 2, lived in Belton. Josh Harris was one of four Tigers named to the Texas H.S. Baseball Coaches Association all-state team in 1999 after the 26-6 Tigers finished the year ranked #4 in Texas. He played two years at Temple College and was a junior on the Texas A&M-Kingsville team in 2001. Josh Harris was born on Nov. 23, 1980, in Abilene TX to Billy and Rhonda Harris. He is the oldest of two children (Britt is 5 years younger) and moved to Belton with his family in the 4th grade and attended Central Elementary School, Belton Jr. H.S., and Belton H.S., graduating in 1999. As a youth he played basketball and was a pole vaulter in track but concentrated on football and baseball in high school. Josh played JV football as a soph and junior and was a 5'11" 175 lb. senior DB on the 1998 Tiger team that was 8-5 on the year after returning to 4A (after two years in 5-A). The Tigers won district and beat Austin Travis and Hays Consolidated in the playoffs before losing to Alice in the state quarterfinals. Josh, a specialist in blocking field goals (he blocked 4 of the team’s 8 kicks in 1998), was named honorable mention all-district as a DB. Josh had considerable success in youth baseball before his high school career. His Temple Little League team won the Texas State championship in 1992 when Josh was 12 and his High Junior team, the Belton Braves, won the Texas State Championship in 1996 when he was 15. Also, his Belton Tiger select team finished 4th in the state in 1997 in a tournament in Dallas with Josh as a pitcher/second baseman. As a soph Josh was a pitcher on the1997 Tiger JV team. As a junior in 1998 he was a 5'9" 160 lb. pitcher on the Tiger varsity that was 21-12 on the year and won the district and bi-district championships. He had a 7-1 record (with two shut-outs) and a 3.52 ERA and was named 1st team all-district. As a senior in 1999 Josh was the pitching ace of the 26-6 Tigers who won district with an undefeated (15-0) record, drew a bye in bi-district, beat Fredericksburg in the Area, lost to Hays Consolidated in the regional semi-finals and finished the year ranked #4 in Texas. Josh was 10-2 on the year with 80 strikeouts and an ERA of 1.97 and had five shutouts including two 1-hitters on the year. He was one of six Tigers (with Thomas Melvin at 1B; Cody Beck at catcher; Kory Douglas at 2B, Alex Garcia at 3B; and B.J. Soto in OF) to be named 1st team all-district. He and Melvin, Douglas and Soto were named to the Texas H.S. Baseball Coaches Association’s all-state team. He was also named all-centex by the Waco and Austin newspapers and was given Belton’s “Golden Arm” award as the Tigers’ best pitcher. Josh was recruited by Temple College, UMHB and Angelina College of Lufkin. He played two years at Temple College under Coach Craig McMurtry and had a 7-3 record as a freshman and a 7-6 record as a soph on the TC team that was 28-24 on the year. Harris’ TC record led to his being recruited by Texas A&M at Kingsville, Abilene Christian University, Central Missouri State, Iowa State, Northern Iowa, and Sam Houston State U. He signed with Texas A&M–Kingsville to play baseball for the 2002-3 seasons. In 2001 Josh Harris, 20, was a junior at Texas A&I, Kingsville majoring in kinesiology. Kory Douglas was an outstanding football and baseball player at Belton H.S. and (as a junior) was one of four Tigers named all-state in baseball in 1999. He was an outstanding scholar-athlete graduating Summa Cum Laude and 4th in his class of 350. As a senior he won the “Big Stick” award from Coach David Tidwell who achieved his 400th career win with the 1999 Tiger baseball team. Kory Charles Douglas was born on Aug. 27, 1981, in Temple TX to Chuck and Janice Douglas and was the second of three children (Jeffri, Kory, and Jillian). His parents moved to Belton in 1971 to teach and coach. Kory attended Central Elementary, Belton Jr. H.S. and BHS. His mother coached the Tiger volleyball team from 1971-1976 and has taught at BHS since 1971. His father was Belton’s head baseball coach in 1973-1983 and assistant football coach before serving as principal at Belton Jr. H.S. from 1997-2001 and was appointed assistant athletic director in 2001. Kory’s two main sports at BHS. were football and baseball. He was a starting wide receiver as a soph in 1997 on the 9-1 Tiger JV football team. As a 5'10" & 165 lb. junior in 1998 he was a starting wide receiver on the 8-5 Tiger varsity team that defeated Austin Travis 14-12 in bi-district, Hays Consolidated 28-21 in the region, and lost 16-14 to Alice in the state QF’s. Kory had 21 catches for 345 yards (#11 in TX) and 2 TD’s and was named 25-4A 2nd team all-district. In Douglas’ senior year the 1999 Tigers were 11-2 (and ranked #6 in TX), won District, defeated Austin McCallum 42-14 in bi-district and lost to Hays Consolidated 19-10 in the Area. Kory, known as “The Playmaker,” had 35 receptions for 769 yards and 5 TD’s (#6 in TX) for the season. His “highlight game” was the 23-22 victory over Leander in which he had 5 receptions in the last 3 minutes in the come-from-behind victory. He was named 1st team all-district and All-Centex honorable mention and all-district and Super-Centex all-academic. Kory’s baseball career began in Little League T-ball and continued through high junior league. He played on several youth all-star and select teams and his 1997 High Junior League team was State Champ in the Texas Teenage Baseball League. As a soph in 1998 Kory started at SS/2B for the 21-2 Tiger JV team. As a junior in 1999 he started at 2B for the Tiger varsity and batted cleanup for the team that was 26-6 on the year and undefeated (10-0) in District. For the year Douglas had a .416 batting average with 27 RBI’s, 10 doubles, 5 triples (tying a school record set by Jason Regan in 1993 & 1994), 4 HR’s and 3 stolen bases. Kory was named 1st team all-district, 2nd team All-Centex, and all-state by the Texas H.S. Baseball Coaches who also named BHS’ Thomas Melvin, B.J. Soto and Josh Harris to the all-state team. As a senior in 2000 Kory was the starting second baseman and lead-off hitter for the 25-12 (9-3) Tigers who lost in the regional semi-finals. The 51 victories in 1999-2000 is the second best 2-year total in school history. Despite a broken wrist, Douglas hit .302 for the year with 23 RBI’s, 12 doubles, 1 triple, 1 HR, and 15 stolen bases. He was named 1st team all-district and was recruited by Baylor University, Temple College and UMHB for baseball but surgery on his left wrist (from a fall 1999 football injury) ended his playing career. Kory Douglas’ achievements at BHS were not limited to athletics as he was active in SADD, FCA, Spanish Club, NHS, the Marching 100 band, and the Student Council. He was named to Who’s Who Among HS Students and was a Boys State Rep and a KWTX Channel 10 Classroom Champion. He was a junior and senior National Merit Math Scholar and received the junior AP English award. His senior essay on The History of Bell County won 1st place in Temple College’s Bell County Sesquicentennial Essay Scholarship Contest. In 2001 Kory Douglas, 20, enrolled at Baylor University in the newly created forensic science program aided by the President’s Academic Scholarship and the Walton Tithe Trust Endowment Scholarship. Sophomore Audrey Puckett and junior Danielle Thomas became the first Belton girls to make all-state in softball when they were selected to the Texas Girls Coaches Association all-state team in 1999. As a senior Puckett was MVP of the District and 1st team SuperCentex after leading the team in hitting, pitching two perfect games and ending the season with a 0.33 ERA. Audrey Puckett was born on Feb. 1, 1983, in Bryan TX
to Larry and Donna Puckett (her father played
Audrey’s softball career started at the age of four when she played “pre-T-Ball” on a boys’ team. She progressed to girls’ fastpitch softball by the age of nine and played on three Belton girls’ teams (coached by her father) when she was 11, 12, & 13 that won the state championship in the Texas Teenage League in 1994, 1995 and 1996. She was invited to play on junior U.S. national teams that played in Holland and Australia and made it to the last of a three-stage selection process in Ft. Worth for the 1998 U.S.A. Olympic team. Audrey’s high school athletic career began as a freshman in 1998 when she was a starter on the softball team and was named “newcomer of the year” in Belton’s 5-A District. As a soph in 1999 she was 12-3 as a pitcher & hit over .300 for the Lady Tigers who were undefeated in their 5-A)District and were 23-7 on the season. Audrey (and teammate Danielle Thomas) was named 1st team all-district and all-state by the Texas Girls Coaches Association. In her junior year of 2000 she was 19-5 as pitcher with 167 SO’s and a 0.29 ERA and hit .464 with 20 RBI’s in Belton’s 4-A District. She was named the team MVP, District Defensive Player of the Year; Super Centex 2nd team by the Waco Tribune-Herald; and honorable mention all-state by the Texas Girls Coaches Association. During the summer after her junior year she pitched 3 innings against the goal medal winning U.S. Olympic Team shutting them out for the first two innings and allowing four hits and two runs in three innings of an exhibition game at Ft. Hood. Her pitching repertoire included a 68 mph fastball as well as a screwball, rise, drop, and slider. As a senior, the 5'8" 130 lb. Puckett was 15-4 as a
pitcher and pitched back-to-back perfect games against Georgetown and Lampasas.
She had 187 SO’s and an 0.33 ERA and hit over .400 to lead the Coach Mariann
DeShazer’s Lady Tigers who were 22-6 on the year and beat Nederland 2-1 in an
“area” playoff game 2-1 behind 18 SO’s by Puckett (a career high) before losing
to No.9 Magnolia in the regional QF’s. Belton was undefeated in
District in Audrey’s first three years and was 14-1 in her senior year for a
4-year District record of 56-1. Puckett was the team and District MVP; won
the team’s “Big Stick” and “Golden Arm” awards; and was named 1st team
SuperCentex by the Waco Tribune-Herald.
Al Maxwell was named 2nd team 4-A all-state on defense by the Texas Sports Writers Association in 1999 as a senior after leading Belton to an undefeated regular season and two victories in the playoffs. Alfonso Dwayne Maxwell was born in Belton on March 23, 1981, and was raised in Belton by his mother, Bertha Milo, with three older siblings, Henry Maxwell, Artisha Shanks and Carlton Shanks. He attended Southwest Elementary School, Belton Intermediate School, Belton Jr. H.S. and Belton H.S. where he graduated in 2000. Al participated in track, basketball and football during his high school years in Belton. Al was a member of the Tiger JV track team as a soph and junior and finished 4th in the 100-yd dash at 11.27 and 2nd in the 220-yd dash at 23.43 in the JV district 25-4A track meet. He started for the Tiger varsity basketball team as a junior in 1999 when the team was 8-20 under 1st year coach Ed Braeuer and as a senior in 2000 when the team was 17-13 (8-4). The 6'2" Maxwell=s strength was rebounding as he averaged 7 rebounds per game in his senior year and made 2nd team all-district. In football Al was a FB and safety on the Tiger sophomore team which won district in 1997 (Belton=s last year in 5A). As a junior the 6'0" 180 lb. Maxwell was the leading tackler (with 120 on the season) on defense for the Tiger varsity which was 9-4 on the year, co-champion (with Marble Falls) of District 25-4A, and defeated Austin Travis 16-12 and Hays Consolidated 28-21 before losing to Alice 16-14 in the regional. Maxwell was named to the 25-4A all-district 1st team on defense at LB. As a senior Maxwell was Belton=s only returning starter on defense and led the Tigers to an 11-1 record on the year including an undefeated (10-0) regular season, a District Championship, and a playoff victory over Austin McCallum 42-12. The team lost to Hays Consolidated 19-10 in the regional semi-final but finished the year ranked #9 in 4A in Texas. The Tiger defense gave up an average of only 9.8 points and 198.4 yards per game on the season. The Tiger offense was led by Cody Fredenburg and Lazarus Ross and the Tigers were given the Gordon Wood award as the top team in Texas based on team Acharacter.@ ABig Al@ Maxwell, at 6'2" and 195 lbs, anchored the Tiger defense as a senior as he made 132 tackles (61 solo), forced 4 fumbles and intercepted one pass on the year. His highlight game was the 23-0 victory over Pflugerville Connally when he had 12 tackles, one interception and one caused fumble to lead the Tiger defense which held Connally to 138 yards and no points after the 8-1 Cougars had averaged 390 yards and 36 points per game. Maxwell was given the Harry Wilson Defensive Tiger of the Year award, the Tiger Legacy award, and an Academic all-district award at the annual football banquet. He was named 1st team all-district at LB and co-MVP of the district on defense. He was also named 1st team LB on the Austin American-Statesman=s All-Centex team which ranked the Tigers as the top defensive team in Central Texas and 2nd team All-Centex by the Waco Tribune. One newspaper described Maxwell as having a Asuperb blend of strength and speed to terrorize opponents throughout the season.@ He was named 2nd team all-state on defense by the Texas Sportswriters and honorable mention all-state by the Associated Press. He was listed by Dave Campbell=s Football Magazine as a one of the top 300 football recruits in Texas after the 1999 season (the only player listed in the top 300 from Temple or Belton). Maxwell was recruited by Baylor, Texas A&M at Kingsville, and Stephen F. Austin, and played football at A&M-Kingsville. Al graduated from Texas State In 2004 and coached at Lockhart and Rosebud-Lott before becoming head football coach at Travis Middle School in Temple in 2006.
Danielle Thomas was named 1st team all-state in softball by the Texas Girls Coaches Association as a junior and senior and was voted Belton’s top female athlete as a senior in 2000 after starring in volleyball, basketball and softball. She received a softball scholarship to Oklahoma State where she started on the varsity as a freshman in 2001. Danielle Thomas was born on March 8, 1982, in Ft. Hood TX to Willie Russell and Vada Thomas. She and her siblings, Dontrell Thomas-McCraney, Dominick Thomas, and Jordon Russell were raised in Belton and Danielle attended Central Elementary School, Belton Jr. H.S. and Belton H.S., graduating in 2000. As a senior in 1979-80 her father was voted the Tiger’s top back and was regional champion in the 100 and 200 yard dashes leading (with Ricky Sanders) Belton to the regional track title in 1980. Her mother was honorable mention all-district in basketball in 1980 and her uncle, Booker Russell, played football at Belton in 1971-73 and later in the NFL. Danielle’s sports career started at the age of 3 when she played on the boys’ T-ball baseball team coached by her father. She began playing softball at the age of 5 and played on select (i.e., all-star) Central Texas teams thru the age of 15. Her 18-and-under ASA team, the “Babes,” won back-to-back state titles in 2000 and 2001 and finished 4th in the national tournament in 2000 and 4th in 2001. Danielle was named MV of the 2001 state tournament. At only 5'3" Danielle was a two-year letterman on the Tiger varsity volleyball team as an “outside hitter.” The Lady Tigers won district in her junior year and were 3rd in district in her senior year under Coach Tina Vaughn. Thomas was also a four-year starter at point guard for the Lady Tiger basketball team under Coach Randy Bell. She averaged 8 points, 1 assist and 2 steals per game as a soph in 1998; 10 points, 2 assists and 2 steals as a junior in 1999 and 16 points, 4 assists and 3 steals as a senior in 2000. Danielle was also a four-year starter on Coach Mariann DeShazer’s Lady Tigers girls softball team which won the District championship for four straight years (with a combined 42-0 district record). As a soph in 1998 she was 1st team all-district in 13-5A and team MVP after hitting .337, with 23 RBI’s and stealing 29 bases in 31 attempts and had a fielding percentage of .914 at shortstop. In her junior year of 1999 the team was 23-7 on the year and advanced to the area round of the playoffs. Danielle hit .369 with 7 HR’s (winning the team “Big Stick” award) and had a fielding percentage of .979 (winning the team “Golden Glove” award) and was voted MVP of the district and 1st team all-state by the Texas Girls Coaches Association. She and soph Audrey Puckett, who also was all-state in 1999, became the first Belton girls to make all-state in softball. In her senior year of 2000 the Lady Tigers were 27-5 (12-0) and beat Hays Consolidated in the Area Game before losing to Smithson Valley in the Regional. Danielle hit .429 on the year with 17 RBI’s and 30 stolen bases in 31 attempts and had a fielding percentage of .959. She shared the Golden Glove award and was the co-MVP of the team and was again voted (with Audrey Puckett) MVP of the district and again named 1st team all-state by the Texas Girls Coaches Association. She was also named a Texas Girls Coaches Association all-star for 2000. Thomas was recruited by Oklahoma State, Iowa State, Oklahoma, St. Edwards and Centenary and signed with Oklahoma State. In 2001 she was the starting centerfielder as a freshman on Oklahoma State’s varsity team which finished 5th in the Big 12 and runner-up in the Big 12 tournament to champion Oklahoma. Danielle led the team in two categories, triples (2) and stolen bases (14 in 16 attempts) and hit .234 (29 hits in 124 at bats) on the year with an on base percentage of .354 and a slugging percentage of .315. She had 6 RBIs, 1 HR, 3 doubles, 2 triples, and 17 runs. In 2000 Ian Pecoraro became the 18th Tiger to be named all-state in baseball by the Texas H.S. Baseball Coaches Association during Coach David Tidwell’s 15-year tenure as head coach at Belton High School from 1986-1988 & 1990-2001. Pecoraro broke the school record for strikeouts in a season as a senior pitcher in 2000 and by 2001 was in his 2nd year of baseball at Temple College. Ian Pecoraro was born on April 27, 1981, in Portland, Maine, to John and Cathy Pecoraro. He and his younger brother, Chris, were raised in Portland ME and moved to Belton when Ian was 10 to attend Miller Heights Elementary School, Belton Intermediate Center, and Belton H.S., graduating in 2000. Ian played soccer as a freshman but concentrated on baseball in his last three years at BHS. Ian’s baseball career began at the age of 5 with T-ball in Portland ME where he also played in the Midget League before moving to Belton to play for the Belton Warriors in the Little League. He also played for the CenTex Dirtdogs, a “select” team that included Belton’s Thomas Melvin. Ian was a third baseman on the Tiger freshman baseball team in 1997 and an outfielder on the JV team as a soph in 1998. He was 3-1 with an ERA of 3.04 as a pitcher for the Tiger varsity in his junior year of 1999 when the Tigers were 26-6 on the year, won district with an undefeated (15-0) record, drew a bye in bi-district, beat Fredericksburg in the Area, lost to Hays Consolidated in the regional semi-finals and finished the year ranked #4 in Texas. Four Tigers (Thomas Melvin, B.J. Soto, Kory Douglas and Josh Harris) were named to the Texas H.S. Baseball Coaches Association’s all-state team. In Pecoraro’s senior year of 2000 the Tigers were 21-12 on the year and lost in the regional semi-finals. On the year the 5'10" 140 lb. right-hand Pecoraro was 10-5 with an ERA of 2.06 and 143 strikeouts (breaking the school record of 121 set by Jason Regan in 1994). His highlight games for the year included a 1-hitter (a no-hitter thru 7 & /3 innings) against Lake Travis in the first district game and 16 strikeouts against Little Cypress in a pre-district game. Pecoraro was named a 1st team all-district pitcher and all-state by the Texas H.S. Baseball Coaches Association after the 2000 season and was given the “Golden Arm” award for the team’s best pitcher and the team MVP award by Coach Tidwell. Ian became the 18th Tiger player in the 15-year tenure of Coach David Tidwell (1986-1988 & 1990-2001) to be named by the Texas H.S. Baseball Coaches Association to the all-state baseball team. The other 17 were Toby Rumfield, Chris Regan, Jason Regan, Brock Rumfield, Darren Brinkley, David Stroud, Brad Turner, Brian Mraz, Kyle Tidwell, Pat Bishop, Bry Ewan, Rocky Allen, Greg Hughes, Thomas Melvin, B.J. Soto, Josh Harris, and Kory Douglas. Ian was recruited by the University of Houston, Southwest Texas State University, UMHB and Temple College and signed with Temple College where he missed his first season in 2001 because of a rotator cuf injury. In 2001, Ian Pecoraro, 20, lived in Belton and was a soph at Temple College majoring in psychology. He planned to continue his baseball career during the 2002 season with the Leopards and later at Southwest Texas State University for the 2003 and 2004 seasons. Nathan Warrick was a three-sport star at Belton H.S from 1999-2002 and made all-state in baseball as a senior in 2002. He was the Co-MVP of the District in football, played in the Texas H.S. Coaches Association all-star football game in 2002 and signed with the U. of Texas to play baseball for the Longhorns in 2003. In 2004 he was the starting left fielder as a red-shirt freshman for the No. 1 ranked UT baseball team. Nathan Ross Warrick was born on Sept.10, 1983, in Temple, TX, to Jay and Cindy McDonald Warrick. His father and mother, who were high school sweethearts, were members of the Belton H.S. Class of 1975 as Jay was a star on the 1974 Tiger team that made it to the state quarterfinals. Nathan is the second of two children (Amanda and Nathan) and moved to Giddings at the age of two where he attended school there thru the 7th grade. He returned to Belton at 13 and attended Belton Jr. High School and Belton High School where he graduated in 2002. He was academic all-district in three sports. Nathan’s sports career began at the age of 5 With T-ball and Little League in Giddings. While in Belton his Texas Teenage League baseball team made the State Tournament He participated in football, track (setting the school record in the 100 meter hurdles), and basketball at B.J.H.S. and football, track and baseball at B.H.S. In football he was coached by his father, Jay Warrick, and was an honorable mention all-district WR (averaging 22.9 yds per reception with 3 TDs) as a soph on the 1999 Tiger team that was 11-1 and lost to Hays Consolidated in the regional semi-finals. As a junior he was named 2nd team all-district QB on the 2000 bi-district championship team after splitting time between QB (completing 37 of 91 passes for 576 yards & 4 TDs and rushing 94 times for 580 yds & 8 TDs) and WR (catching 5 passes for 135 yards and 1 TD). As a senior on the 2001 playoff team he caught 40 passes for 723 yards and rushed for 366 yards while again splitting time between QB and WR. He was voted the team MVP, co-offensive MVP of the District; 1st team Super-Centex by the Waco Tribune Herald and honorable mention all-state by the TX sportswriters at WR though his receiving stats were diminished by his having to play some games at QB. He became only the 11th Tiger to be invited to play in the Texas High School Coaches all-star football game where he started at slot receiver for the South and made three catches for 96 yards. His total yards receiving was almost 1/3 of the team’s total yards (the South lost the game 31-24) and ranked among the top ten receiving performances in the 67-year history of the all-star game. Nathan signed to play football at Sam Houston State after the season but was later released so that he could sign a baseball scholarship with UT, the 2002 NCAA champions. In track and field as a soph in 2000 Nathan was 2nd in the 300-meter hurdles at District and was a member of the Tiger sprint relay team that won 2nd at District. As a junior in 2002 he won 1st (39.36) in the 300-meter hurdles in District (and earlier ran a personal best of 38.8) and ran on the 2nd place (42.98) sprint relay team and the 3rd place 1600 meter relay team (3:29.27). In his senior year of 2002 Nathan did not run the hurdles at District but ran on the 2nd place sprint relay team at District that set a school record. In baseball, Nathan played on the JV team as a soph but was a starting OF on the Tiger teams of 2001 and 2002. As a junior on the 19-12 Tiger team of 2001 that lost in the area round of the playoffs to Little Cypress in the Astrodome, he was named 1st team all-district after hitting .400 on the year with 26 hits, 18 RBI’s, 20 runs, and 14 stolen bases. As a senior on the 26-16 Tiger team of 2002 that made it to the regional finals before losing to Houston Forest Brook, he hit .389 (with 43 hits) with an on-base percentage of almost .600, scored 38 runs, and had 18 stolen bases and 18 RBI’s. He was again named 1st team all-district, 2nd team All-Centex and was named 2nd team All-Centex by the Austin American Statesman and all-state by the Texas H.S. Baseball Coaches Association. Blessed with 3.53 second speed to 1st base, he was drafted in the 42nd round of the Major League baseball draft but decided to go to college and signed to play baseball at the U. of Texas shortly after the Longhorns won the 2002 College World Series. Nathan was named the top male athlete at BHS for 2001-2002. Senior Brad McGehee was named to the Class 4-A All-State baseball team by the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association after he hit .425 on the 2002 season to lead the 7th ranked Tigers to the regional finals. He was also named CO-MVP of the District and started at shortstop for the South in the 4A-5A all-star game. Bradley Jerald McGehee was born on Nov. 16, 1983, in Temple, TX, to Michael and Debra McGehee. He is the second of four children (Craig, Brad, Brigette,and Jacque) and was raised in Belton and attended Lakewood Elementary School, Belton Jr. H.S. and Belton H.S. He was active in Teen Involvement in H.S. and was an excellent student scoring 1300 on his SAT and 26 on the ACT. Brad played several sports as a youth but played only basketball (as a 5'8" JV point guard) and baseball in high school. His baseball career began at the age of 4 in pre-T-ball and his Midget League team, the Rockets, coached by his father, went to the state tournament. His freshman league team, the Yankees, won the state championship. Brad was considered a potential star as a child as Tiger baseball coach David Tidwell saw him playing at the age of 6 in T-ball and followed his youth career with interest. Brad made the varsity baseball team as a soph in 2000 but saw limited action on the Tiger team that was 25-12 on the year and made it to the 4th round of the playoffs. He was the starting shortstop as a junior for the 2001 Tiger team that was 19-12 on the year and lost in the area round of the playoffs to Little Cypress in the Astrodome. He hit .302 on the year with 19 hits, 22 runs scored and 15 RBI's and was named to the All-District team. The diminutive (5'8" and 165 lbs.) McGehee had a great senior season in 2002 for the 26-16 Tiger team that made it to the regional finals before losing to Houston Forest Brook. He hit .430 on the season with 58 hits (breaking the school record set in 1999 by Thomas Melvin), 9 HR’s and 56 runs scored. Brad and Tiger 2nd second baseman Matt Brauer turned 36 double plays in 2002 breaking a Texas state record (of 33) and coming close to the national record (of 38). Brad was named CO-MVP of the District after hitting .529 during district play and swept the team awards as he was named team MVP and was also given the Golden Glove, Big Stick and Legacy awards. Brad and fellow Tiger senior Nathan Warrick were both named to the Texas High School Baseball Coaches 4A All-State team and Brad was also named to the Waco Times Herald’s All-Centex team. He was also invited to play in the 4A-5A all-star game at the Dell Diamond becoming the 5th Tiger (after Jason Regan, Brad Turner, Bry Ewan and Thomas Melvin) to play in the all-star game. He was the starting shortstop for the South team. Brad was recruited by several 4-year schools but signed with Texas A&M at Kingsville where he played in 2003 (on the same team as Wall of Honor members Thomas Melvin and Josh Harris). Brad majored in biological sciences with a minor in kinesiology and hoped to become a physical therapist. On Sept. 13, 2002, Brad and fellow seniors Nathan Warrick (baseball), Maxine James (powerlifting) and Brett Heitmiller (basketball) were introduced to Tiger fans at the season opening football game as the newest members of the Belton High School Athletic Wall of Honor. Brad McGehee died in a accidental fall in Waco in 2004. Maxine James won a state championship in powerlifting in 2002 becoming the fifth Lady Tiger to qualify for the Belton Athletic Wall of Honor after Alana Jones (1975), Anitra Davis (1991-93), Audrey Puckett (1999) and Danielle Thomas (1999-2000). Maxine Antonette James was born on October 28, 1984, in Jamaica to Maurice and Maxine James and was the second of four children (Maurice, Maxine, Daliann and Susan). She lived in Jamaica until the age of 8 and then lived in Bermuda for two years before moving at the age of 10 to Belton where she attended Belton Intermediate School, Belton Jr. H.S., and Belton H.S.. Maxine played some soccer as a youth but did not play on any school athletic teams until reaching high school where she was on the track team under Coach Bobby Fowler. She threw the shotput 34'0" as a soph in 2000 placing 2nd in District; 2nd at the Regional at San Antonio; and 7th (at 36' 8 ½) at the State Track Meet in Austin. She improved her personal best in the shotput to 39' 11" as a junior in 2001 but was unable to compete at District. As a senior in 2002 she had a personal best of 41'4 ½" (but threw 43 ft. in practice) and won 1st place in District; 1st place at the Regional III meet at Huntsville (at 40'11 ½"); and 6th place (with throw of 39" 6 1/4") at the State 4A Meet in Austin. She also had a personal best of 103" in the discus. Maxine began lifting weights as a freshman but did not compete in powerlifting meets until her senior year when Belton began its girls’ powerlifting team under Coach Paul Williams. Maxine, at 5'6" and 165 lbs., won five meets before the state powerlifting meet as she was 1st (with a total of 750 lbs.) at the Troy Invitational; 1st (with a total of 800 lbs.) at the Waco Reicher Invitational; 1st (with a total of 810 lbs.) at the Manor Invitational; 1st (with a total of 850 lbs.) at the Belton Invitational; and 1st (with a total of 885 lbs.) at the Regional Meet. She was given an award as the “outstanding lifter” at all five earlier meets and set a regional record of 390 lbs in the squat. Maxine won 1st place in her weight class at the state powerlifting championship held in April of 2002 at Ft. Hood. She squatted 360 lbs., benched 180 lbs., and deadlifted 350 lbs. for a 890 lb. total. She defeated the runner-up by 105 lbs. to win the championship though her winning total was short of her personal best of 940 lbs. Maxine graduated from Belton H.S. in 2002 and planned a career in the United States Army. On Sept. 13, 2002, Maxine and fellow seniors Nathan Warrick and Brad McGehee (baseball) and Brett Heitmiller (basketball) were introduced to Tiger fans at the first home football game as the newest members of the Belton High School Athletic Wall of Honor. Brett Heitmiller became the second Lady Tiger to make all-state in basketball (after Anitra Davis in 1991-93) when she was named 3rd team all-state after her senior season of 2002. She became the first Lady Tiger to be selected to play in the coaches all-star basketball game and the first Tiger basketball player in 41 years (since Bill Ward in 1961) to play in a statewide all-star game. Brett Renee Heitmiller was born in Dallas TX on April 7, 1984, to Kyle and Pam (Wolf) Heitmiller. She is the oldest of five children (Brett, Blair, Brooke, Bailey, and Beau) and moved with the family to Belton in 1985 at the age of one. She attended Leon Heights Elementary School, Belton Jr. H.S., and Belton H.S., graduating with honors in 2002. Brett played several sports (e.g., softball, soccer, basketball) in recreation and club leagues as a youth. She was an all-star for 5 years in softball, played on a select soccer team (the “Storm,” 1984), and was MVP of her 8th grade basketball team. She played only volleyball and basketball in high school. Brett lettered in volleyball for the Lady Tigers in her junior and senior years. As a junior she was a defensive specialist for the 2000 Lady Tiger team under Coach Tina Vaughan that was 24-8 (9-1) on the year, won the district championship and defeated Port Arthur Jefferson and Silsbee before losing to Friendswood in the regional semi-finals. In her senior season of 2001 the Lady Tigers were 27-8 (10-0) and defeated Little Cypress-Mauriceville and Silsbee before losing to Dickinson in the regional semi-finals. Brett was voted the 17-4A Defensive Player of the Year and received the Coaches Award and the Tiger Legacy Award. Brett began her basketball career at the age of 9 when she was the only girl on her Belton Christian Youth Center basketball team. Her 7th grade junior high team was undefeated and won the district championship and her 8th grade team tied for the district championship. She was a varsity letterman as a freshman and was the starting point guard in her soph year when she was named honorable mention all-district and all-tournament at Gatesville. In her junior year the Lady Tigers were 24-8 (9-1), won the first district championship in school history, and defeated Beaumont Ozen and Livingston in the playoffs before losing to Crosby in the regional semi-finals. The 5'6" junior averaged 11 points, 3.6 steals, and 3.3 rebounds per game and was the unanimous choice by the coaches as the MVP of District 17-4A. She was also named the team MVP, 1st team all-regional, and was selected by Texas Basketball Magazine as 3rd team all-state. As a senior in 2002 Heitmiller led the Lady Tigers to a second straight district basketball title under Coach Randy Bell and finished with a 27-12 (9-1) season record after losing to Silsbee in the area playoff round. Brett averaged 11.1 points, 4 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 4 steals per game. She set a school record for steals with 146 on the season with a high of 10 in one game. She was chosen the team MVP (and was given the Tiger Legacy Award), was a unanimous choice by the coaches as MVP of the district, was a 1st team selection on the Super Centex team, and was an honorable mention 4A all-state selection by the Texas Sportswriters Association. Brett also became the first Lady Tiger to play in the Texas Girls Coaches Association all-star game and was a defensive standout (against 4-time all-state Erin Grant of Mansfield). She made 3 steals in the all-star game and also had 3 points (on 3 of 3 from the foul line), 2 rebounds, and 2 assists. She also had only one turnover during her 20 minutes of play in the fast paced all-star game. Heitmiller received a full scholarship to play basketball at Sam Houston State University becoming the first Lady Tiger senior in history to sign with a Division I basketball school. On Sept. 13, 2002, Brett and fellow seniors Nathan Warrick and Brad McGehee (baseball) and Maxine James (powerlifting) were introduced to Tiger fans at the first home football game as the newest members of the Belton High School Athletic Wall of Honor. Brett transferred to UMHB for the 2004-05 basketball season. Stefanie Douglas became only the third Belton Tiger athlete (after Anitra Davis in 1991-93 & Toby Rumfield in 1989-91) to be named all-state for three years in the same sport when she was named to the 5-A all-state team after her senior season of 2002. The 6'3" Douglas was named to the 4-A all-state teams in 2000 and 2001. She signed to play with the University of Florida, the perennial champion of the Southeast Conference for the 2003 season. Stefanie Lea Douglas was born on Nov. 24, 1984, in Erie PA to Howard and Mary Jane Douglas. She is the second of four children (Jennifer, Stefanie, Lindsey, & Brian) and attended elementary school in Harrison City PA until she moved to Belton in the 6th grade. She then attended Belton Intermediate, Belton Jr. H.S., and Belton H.S. where she was academic all-district for four years. As a youth Stefanie was active in softball, volleyball and basketball. She played softball and basketball thru the 8th grade and then began concentrating on volleyball. She was 6' in jr. high and played in the off-season for the Texas Block Party, a select team in Austin. Stefanie’s varsity career at BHS began as a freshman in 1999 and continued thru her senior year of 2002 under Coach Tina Vaughn-Stowers. In 1999 the Tigers were 14-10 and were area finalists. Stefanie was voted Newcomer of the Year as a freshman, 1st team all-district and honorable mention Super CenTex by the Waco Tribune Herald. The Tigers were 22-10 in her soph year of 2000 and were regional semi-finalists. Belton won its first of three straight district championships as Stefanie led the team with 382 kills and 172 blocks (152 solo). The “super soph” was named 1st team all-district & Most Valuable Offensive Hitter of District 17-4A, 2nd team Super CenTex, and 2nd team all-state by the Texas Sports Writers Assoc. Belton was 27-8 (10-0) in her junior year of 2001 and made it to the regional semi-finals. Stefanie had 450 kills and 157 blocks for the year with a high of 32 kills against Dickinson in the regional semi-final game. After her junior year she was named MVP of her team and of District 17-4A; 1st team Super CenTex; 1st team all-state by the Girls Coaches Assoc; and 2nd team all-state by the Texas Sports Writers. In Douglas’ senior year of 2002 the Tigers were 22-10 (10-0) and again were undefeated in District (13-5A) and made it to the regional quarterfinals. The team was led by Stefanie and her younger sister, Lindsey, a 5'11" soph and both were named 1st team all-district. For the year Stefanie had 447 kills and 170 blocks (158 solo). She was again named team and district MVP; 1st team all-district; 1st team & MPV of All Area team; 1st team Super CenTex by the Waco Tribune Herald and 1st team All Centex by the Austin American Statesman; 1st team 5-A all-state by the Texas Sports Writers and 2nd team all-state by the Girls Coaches Assoc.; and was named an alternate for the H.S. all-star team/game. Stefanie Douglas became only the third Belton athlete to make all-state for 3 years in the same sport after Anitra Davis in basketball in 1991-93 and Toby Rumfield in baseball in 1989-91. She was added to the Belton H.S. Athletic Wall of Honor in the spring of 2003 and is the “most decorated” female athlete in the history of Belton H.S.. Stefanie was highly recruited by Nebraska, UT, Baylor, Arizona, University of Southern CA, Hawaii, and Florida. She visited Texas, Baylor and Florida before signing with Florida, a perennial national power and winner of the SEC championship the last 11 years (going undefeated the last 8 years). She enrolled at the University of Florida in the fall of 2003. Drew Candlin was named to the Texas High School Baseball Coaches 5-A All-State team for 2003 becoming the 21st Tiger baseball player to be named all-state under Coach David Tidwell since 1989. Candlin was a 3-time first team all-district performer and signed with Temple College to play baseball for the Leopards in 2004. Warren Drew Candlin was born in Columbus GA on Nov. 12, 1984. Drew’s military family (his parents, Richard and Sandy Nieberding, and younger brother, John) moved frequently as he attended first grade in Columbus GA, grades 2-4 in Hawaii, and grades 5-8 in West Point NY before moving to Belton for grades 9-12. His “organized” youth baseball career began in Hawaii at the age of 8 and was highlighted by the state championship won by his Marlboro NY Babe Ruth League team in 1997. He also played basketball as a youth (and on the Tiger freshman basketball team in 2000) before concentrating on baseball after his freshman year. Candlin graduated in the top 10% of his class from BHS in 2003. Drew played 2B on the Tiger Freshman baseball team in 2000 and was moved up to the varsity for the playoffs as the Tiger varsity finished the season at 21-12 and won three playoff series before losing in the regional semi-finals. He also played “summer ball” for the Tigers following the spring seasons of 2000, 2001 & 2002. Drew started his soph year of 2001 on the Tiger JV team but was moved to the varsity as district play began. He was named first team 17-4A all-district at 1B after hitting .526 (10 for 19) in seven district games and finished the year at .340. Belton beat Magnolia in the first round of the playoffs before losing to Little Cypress-Mauriceville in the Area and finished the year at 19-11. In Drew’s junior year of 2002, he hit .321 on the year with 4 HR’s and 44 RBI’s. He was again a first team 17-4A all-district selection at 1B as the Tigers finished the year at 27-16 beating Magnolia, Port Neches Grove and Lumberton in the playoffs before losing to Houston Forest Brook in the regional finals. As a 6'1" & 180lb senior 3B in 2003, Candlin hit .438 with 39 hits and 31 RBI’s and only 4 strikeouts. The Tigers finished the year at 17-16 beating Leander in the first round of the playoffs before losing to The Woodlands in the second round. Drew was named team MVP and won the Big Stick and the Tiger Legacy awards. He was named first team all-district (13-5A) for the third consecutive year. Candlin was named to the Texas High School Baseball Coaches 5-A all-state team and was honorable mention on the 5-A all-state team named by the Texas Sportswriters Association. He became only the 6th Tiger (with Pat Bishop, Bry Ewan, Kyle Tidwell, Rocky Allen and Greg Hughes) to be named to the 5A all-state team (Belton was in 5A in 1997 & 1998 and in 2003). Candlin finished his 4-year Belton career with 101 hits (3rd in school history) and 76 RBI’s. Candlin was recruited by Baylor University, Blinn College and Temple College and signed with Temple College. He planned to play baseball for the Leopards in 2004 & 2005 and, hopefully, with a 4-year college in 2005 & 2006. Drew Candlin and Tiger volleyball player Stefanie Douglas were inducted into the Belton High School Athletic Wall of Honor at halftime of the first home football game in 2003. He became the 21st baseball player under Coach David Tidwell to be added to the Wall since 1989. Ramonce Taylor was all-state in both football and
track as a junior and senior in 2002-04 and was named the top long jumper in the
U.S. in 2003. Taylor is considered by many as the greatest athlete
in the history of Belton H.S. as he was a 1st team all-state running back as a
senior (& 2nd team as a junior), state champion in the long jump as a junior &
senior and a 3-year starter in basketball who scored 22 ppg (with a record high
of 44 in one game).
Tiger defensive end William Bell was named 2nd team all-state on the 2003 AP 5A all-state football team as he and teammate Ramonce Taylor became the first Tigers to ever make all-state in football in 5-A. Bell was recruited by several Division 1A schools and signed with Oklahoma State for the 2004 season. William Andre Bell was born on May 28, 1985, in Rockdale TX to William Bell and Tammy Williams. He and his older siblings, Adrian Lamont Williams and LaTasha Andrea Bell, were raised by Duane Holley and his mother in Temple where William attended elementary school and in Belton where he attended Belton Jr. High and Belton H.S. He played youth football in Temple and was on the track and power-lifting teams in Belton. Bell’s high school career began as a soph in 2001 as he was a starting defensive end for the Tigers who were 5-6 on the year and 2nd in District 18-4A losing to Magnolia in the playoffs. William had 8 tackles, 15 assists, 2 tackles for a loss (total of - 5 yards), 1 fumble recovery and 4 QB pressures. He was named honorable mention all-district on the Tiger defensive team which was best in the District. As a 6' 3" 225 lb junior in 2002 William was again a starting defensive end/nose guard on a Tiger team that was 5-5 on the year and finished 4th in District 14-5A. He was named 2nd team all-district after finishing the year with 21 tackles, 26 assisted tackles, 5 tackles for a loss (total of -12 yards), 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 2 recovered fumbles, and 10 QB “hurries.” Bell was listed as one of the top defensive line recruits in TX going into the 2003 season as the scouts were impressed by his size (6'4, 240 lbs.) and speed (4.55 in the 40-yd dash). He was listed by Dave Campbell and by Rivals 100 as one of the top 25 defensive ends in TX . Belton was 9-2 in William’s senior season of 2003 and tied for 1st in District before losing to Leander in bi-district. William was constantly doubled and sometimes triple-teamed, but still totaled for the year 39 tackles, 60 assists, and 19 tackles for a loss (for a total of -46 yards). He also had 9 quarterback sacks (for -43 yards), 16 QB pressures, 4 caused fumbles, and 1 fumble recovery. “Big Bell” was known for his ability to run down running backs from the opposite side of the field and so “clogged up” the middle of the line that no team ran consistently “up the middle” against Belton all year. Opposing coaches noted that though Ramonce Taylor grabbed the headlines for Belton it was Bell on defense who “made the difference” in several games. The Tiger defense–anchored by Bell--held the Temple Wildcats to 108 yards of total offense in the season ending victory. During Bell’s three-year career he had 68 tackles and 101 assisted tackles with 26 tackles for a loss (total of -63 yards), 11 QB sacks (-62 yards), 30 QB pressures, 5 caused fumbles and 4 fumble recoveries. After his senior season William was named Belton’s top defensive end and top defensive MVP ; the (unanimous) defensive MVP of District 13-5A; 1st team All-Centex by the Austin American Statesman; and 2nd team all-state at defensive end by Associated Press. He and teammate Ramonce Taylor (named as a 1st team RB) became the first Belton Tiger football players to make 5-A all-state in football.. William was was recruited by schools like Kansas, Kansas State, and Arizona and signed with Oklahoma State for the 2004 season. Matt Braeuer was named 1st team all-state in basketball by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (T.A.B.C.) in 2004 becoming only the 8th Tiger in school history to make all-state and only the 3rd ever (and the first in 43 years) to make 1st team all-state. Matt signed to play with Division I basketball at Wichita State. Matthew Rudolph Braeuer was April 23, 1986, in Austin TX to Ed and Penny Braeuer and is one of three children (with Eric and Meghan). His father was the assistant basketball coach at Round Rock Westwood from 1989-98 and became the head coach at Belton in 1998 when Matt was 12. Matt was a three-sport star at Belton as he was the Tiger’s top cross-country runner for three years and was a three-year starter for the Tigers in baseball and basketball. He was all-district in cross-country for three years and was the district runner-up as a soph and district champion as a junior with a time of 15:12 in the 3 miles. He qualified for the state meet in cross country as a freshman and soph but did not run as a senior to focus on basketball. In baseball Matt was Belton’s starting second-baseman for three years. He hit and threw right handed though he played basketball as a lefty thus demonstrating his ambidextrous ability. In his soph season of 2002 the team was 27-16 and defeated Magnolia, Port Neches and Lumberton in the playoffs before losing to Houston Forest Brook in the regional finals. Matt and shortstop Brad McGree turned 36 double plays to break a state record (of 33) and came close to the national record (38). He was named honorable mention all-district as a soph. In his junior season of 2003 the Tigers were 17-16 and lost in the 2nd round of the playoffs. Matt hit .292 on the year & was named 2nd team all-district. In his senior season of 2004 the Tigers were 23-9 and he was named 1st team all-district after hitting .383 in district play and .354 for the year with 29 hits, 5 doubles, 1 triple, one HR and 10 stolen bases. Matt began playing basketball in youth leagues in NW Austin at the age of 7 and was an all-star every year. He played in youth leagues in Belton each spring and in summer leagues thru H.S. His Austin Dawgs-Red AAU summer team after his junior year won the prestigious Great American shootouts in Plano and San Antonio and was runner-up in Bryan and 3rd in Denton (of 96 teams). The Dawgs made it to the top bracket in the Adidas Big Time Tournament in Las Vegas before losing in the 2nd round to a team from Portland Or. Matt and A.J. Abrams of Round Rock McNeil were the guards for the Dawgs and led the team in scoring. His Belton varsity basketball career began as a soph in 2002 as a 5-10, 135 lb. starting PG for the 4-A Tigers who were 30-5 ( 9-1) on the year winning Belton’s first district championship in 35 years. The Tigers reached a #9 state ranking and defeated Jasper in the 1st round of the playoffs before losing to state-runner-up Beaumont Ozen in the 2nd round despite Matt’s 5 3-pointers in the first half. As a soph Matt averaged 8.2 points, 3.2 assists and 3.2 steals per game while shooting 80% from the line and 35% from 3-point range. In Matt’s junior year of 2003 the 5-A Tigers were 23-11 (6-4), tied for 2nd in district, and beat Pflugerville in the 1st round of the playoffs before losing to Spring Westfield, 59-58. Matt averaged 16 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals per game as a junior. He shot 43% from 3-point range and 77% in free throws and was named 1st team all-district and 2nd team all regional. In 2004 the Tigers were 25-11 on the year and were district co-champs (with 4 other teams at 6-4) and in the playoffs beat A&M Consolidated, Westwood, and Cy-Falls before losing to McNeil. Matt averaged 22.6 points (3rd all-time at Belton behind only Tommy Grant’s 24.1 in 1967 and Billy Carlock’s 23.8 in 1988) 4.8 steals (leading the CenTex area), and 4.7 assists per game. He shot 76% in FT;s & 35% from 3-pt. range and was named the offensive MVP of District 13-5A; 1st team all CenTEX by the Austin-American; 1st team all region II; and lst team 5-A all-state by T.A.B.C. (with A.J. Abrams). He was selected to play in the T.A.B.C. All-Star game (only the 4th Belton boy ever selected and the first in 43 years) but was unable to play due to the baseball playoffs. He did play in the Texas-Oklahoma All-Star game in Shawnee OK. Matt impressed college scouts with his performances for the Austin Dawgs AAU team in the summer of 2003 and was recruited by SMU, SFA, SHSU, Utah State and Pacific and signed in the fall of 2003 with Wichita State before his senior season. He was the first Belton basketball player to receive a Division I basketball scholarship since Bill Ward signed with SMU in 1961. Matt was a three-year starter at point guard for Wichita State and was the team's second leading scorer as a senior in 2008. Blake Holt was a 3-year starter in both football and baseball in his senior year of 2004-05 became only the 7th of 87 Tigers on the Wall of Honor to make all-state in two sports and the first to hold that distinction in 5A. He was drafted by the Atlanta Braves but signed with Temple College to play baseball. Blake Milburn Holt was born in Athens TX on June 2, 1987 to Wes & Jeannette Holt. He attended kindergarten in his home town of Malakoff and then moved to Belton where he and his sister, Megan, attended Southwest Elementary Lakewood Elementary, Belton Jr. H.S. and Belton H.S. Blake started at defensive end as a 6’ 3” 183 lb.soph for the 5-5 Tiger football team in 2002 and was named 2nd team All-District in 13-5A. In Holt’s junior season of 2003 the Tigers were 9-2 & co-champions of District 13-5A and lost 14-13 to Leander in Bi-District. He was named 1st team All-District in 13-5A at defensive end. As a senior the 6’3, 205 lb Holt played linebacker on Belton’s 2004 team which was 0-10. He led the Tigers with 75 solo tackles and 99 assists including 7 for losses. His 174 solo/assisted tackles broke the previous school season record set by Brent Smith in 1989. Blake also played some on offense as a tight end and receiver and caught 2 TD passes in the second half against Bryan. He received the Tiger Legacy Award, the Coaches Award and the Harry Miller Defensive Tiger Award at the end of the season. He was named 1st team 13-5A all-district and 2nd team all-state by the Associated Press Sports Editors and 3rd team all-state by the Texas Sports Writers. Holt played on the Tiger varsity baseball team for four years. As a freshman he was called up to the varsity from the JV team at the end of the 2002 season as the Tigers went 27-16 winning District and defeating Magnolia, Port Neches Grove and Lumberton before losing to Houston Forest Brook in the 4-A regional finals. Blake scored the winning run in game 3 of the Regional semi-finals by stealing home to beat Baytown. He also played (with Belton teammates Brooks Kimmey and Matt Dunn) in the summer for 3 years with the Austin Slam. In the summer after his freshman year at BHS he was named to the Triple Crown All-American Team and to the All-Tournament Team at the Triple Crown World Series in Steamboat Springs, CO. In Blake’s soph season of 2003 the Tigers were 17-16 on the year and beat Leander before losing in the 2nd round to The Woodlands. He batted .313 and was named District 13-5A “New Comer of the Year.” In his junior year of 2004 the Tigers were 23-9 on the season and shared the District 13-5A title with Temple. The Tigers defeated Round Rock in bi-district before losing in the 2nd round to Tomball, the #1 team in the U.S. Holt hit .357 with 28 RBI’s & 4 HR’s and was named 1st team all-district and honorable mention all-state by the Texas Sportswriters Association. He was also awarded the Tigers’ “Big Stick” award for the season. A highlight for the year was a “walk off” two run home run against A&M Consolidated to secure a share of the district championship. The Tigers were 26-9 during Blake’s senior baseball season of 2004 and reached the regional semi-finals where they were defeated by Klein Collins. Blake hit .453 on the year with 7 home runs and 50 RBI’s and set two school records with 59 runs scored and 9 triples. He and teammate Brooks Kimmey were named co-MVP’s of 13-5A (and co-MVP’s of the Tiger team) and Blake was also named as a 1st team outfielder on the Waco Tribune Super Centex Team and the Austin American Statesman All Central Texas Team. He was also named all-state by the Texas H.S. Coaches Association and 2nd team all-state by the Texas Sports Wirters. He was selected to play in the THLSCA all-star game at Dell Diamond on June 19, 2005. Blake was recruited to play football by a number of colleges including Texas A&M, Baylor and TCU and was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 34th round in the June 8 Major League Baseball amateur draft. He signed with Temple College to play baseball in 2006. Holt is only the 7th Tiger (after Richard Inman, David Bartek, Brett Stafford, Raymond Williams, Darren Brinkley and Ramonce Taylor) to make all-state in two sports and the first to do so in 3A. Brooks Kimmey was named to both the THSCA and Texas Sports Writers’ all-state teams after his senior season of 2005. He signed to play with Angelina College in Lufkin for the 2006 season. Brooks Kyle Kimmey was born on Sept. 29, 1986, in Temple TX to Charlie and Kathy Kimmey. His father is Executive Director of the Ralph Wilson Youth Clubs in Temple and his mother is a physician at Scott & White Hospital. His sister, Kelli, is a member of the B.H.S. Class of 2008. Brooks attended elementary and middle schools in Temple and moved to Belton in the 9th grade. At Travis Middle School in Temple Brooks participated in football, basketball and track where he set school records in the mile (5:03) and two mile (11:29). He also quarterbacked an undefeated Travis football team and was given the Mustang Award for outstanding athletic accomplishments.. Kimmey was a two-sport star at Belton H.S. As a junior, he was on the special teams for the 2003 Tiger football team that was 9-2 and co-champions of District 13-5A. As a senior he was a safety for the 0-10 Tigers and was named 2nd team all-district and the Tigers best defensive back. He was 2nd on the team in tackles and assists and shared the Legacy Award with Blake Holt. Brooks’ baseball career began in T-ball in Temple. His senior midget team (Cardinals) finished 5th in the state and he was named to the senior midget all-state team. From the ages of 9-14 he played for the Central Texas Panthers select team (with 8 of the 9 Belton starters from 2005) and in 2003-05 for the Austin SLAM (with Holt and Matt Dunn). He first played for the Tiger varsity team in his soph year of 2003 when the Tigers were 17-16 and beat Leander 2-1 in the 1st round of the playoffs on a walk-off home run by Brooks. Brooks was honorable mention all-district as an outfielder. In Brooks’ junior year (2004) the Tigers were 23-9 on the season and shared the District 13-5A title with Temple. The Tigers defeated Round Rock in bi-district (with Brooks hitting a 3-run homer to win game one) before losing in the 2nd round to Tomball, the #1 team in the U.S. He hit .341 on the year and was 1st team 13-5A all-district and was named the team’s defensive MVP. In his senior year of 2005 the Tigers were 26-9 beating Austin Westlake in the Area before losing in the regional semi-finals to Klein Collins. Brooks hit a game winner homer in game 3 of the Westlake series and hit .581 in district play, tying a school record set by Thomas Melvin in 1999. On the year he hit .455 (as Belton set a school season record of .354) with six HR’s, 37 RBI’s and 43 runs scored. According to the Austin American Statesman, Kimmey was 6th in Central Texas in hitting, 5th in hits, 2nd in runs scored and 8th in RBI’s. Coach David Tidwell, who won his 500th career victory during the 2005 season, stated that “Kimmey is one of the most complete catchers that we have ever had with his defense, his arm and his hitting. Brooks and Blake Holt were named the co-MVP’s of District 13-5A and the co-Team MVP’s. Brooks was named 2nd team Super Centex by the Waco Tribune Herald and all-state by both the THSCA and Texas Sports Writers. Brooks was in the top 5% of his class in the 9th – 11th grades and the top 10% as a senior. Kimmey was recruited by Temple College, McLennan Community College, Hill Junior College and Angelina College. He signed with the Angelina College Roadrunners who finished the 2005 season ranked 11th in the nation. Brooks, Blake Holt, and Jonathan Farrow along with Lindsey Douglas (volleyball) were inducted into the Belton High School Wall of Honor at halftime of the first home football game in Sept. of 2005. Jonathan Farrow was one of one of three Belton Tigers seniors who were named on the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association All-State Team following the 2005 season. He led the team, the District and Central TX in home runs and RBI’s. Jonathan Brian Farrow was born on Feb. 7, 1987, at Kings Daughters Hospital in Temple TX and is the son of Jon and Gayle Farrow of Temple and Cindy and Jonathan Zielke of Slidell, LA. Jonathan attended K thru 6th grade in the Temple schools and 7th through 12th grade in Belton. He has two older sisters, Michaelle Baird and Stephanie Farrow and two younger brothers, Cameron and Justin Zielke. Jonathan began playing organized baseball at the age of four with the Belton Rams pre t-ball team. He played a total of nine seasons as a first baseman and pitcher in the Belton City League and one in the Temple City League. He played first base for the Central Texas Panthers, a local select team, from 1996 through 2000. During the summers of 2003 and 2004, Jonathan played third base for the Texas Braves of Arlington TX as the Braves won four tournaments during this time, and finished second at both the AAU National Tournament in Kingsport TN and the Triple Crown Fall Nationals in Las Vegas NE. Jonathan was named to the Baseball of America Super Series All-Tournament Team at their 2003 National Tournament in Peoria AZ. Farrow first played varsity baseball for Belton in his junior year of 2004 but missed the first four weeks of the season with a broken wrist. He become a valuable contributor on defense at third base upon his return. Head Coach David Tidwell credited Jonathan with making “the play of the year” in a late season victory over district rival A&M Consolidated that helped keep the Tigers in the running for the district title. The Tigers finished the 2004 season with a 23-9 record and were district 13-5A co-champions with Temple. The Tigers defeated Round Rock in bi-district but fell in the second round of the state playoffs to nationally ranked Tomball. The Tigers were 26-9 and District 13-5A champions in Jonathan’s senior year of 2005 and defeated Austin Westlake in the area before losing in the regional semi-finals to Klein Collins. The all-senior line-up hit .354 as a team for the season (a school record) and scored over 11 runs per game in District. Jonathan, at 6’ 3” & 200 lbs., led the team, District and Central Texas in home runs (9) and RBI’s (46) for the season and hit .478 in District and .406 on the year. He was named to the All-Tournament team at the Lubbock Invitational and was selected 1st team all-district at third base; 2nd team Super Centex by the Waco Tribune; honorable mention all-state by the Texas Sports Writers; and all-state (with teammates Blake Holt and Brooks Kimmey) by the Texas High School Coaches Association. He was also given the Belton Tiger Best Glove Award at the post-season sports banquet. Highlights for the year for Jonathan were the two home runs he hit against Deer Park in Coach Tidwell’s 500th career victory and, in a first ever feat for Coach Tidwell’s Tigers, Holt, Kimmey and Farrow hit back-to-back-to-back homers in a district game against Bryan. In a rare pitching appearance, he pitched a shutout 7th inning in a thrilling 17-16 victory over A&M Consolidated, and was mobbed on the mound by his teammates following the final pitch of the game. During and following his senior season at Belton, Jonathan was recruited by several schools (e.g., Hill County JC, UMHB, Temple College) before accepting a baseball scholarship from Temple College. His goals are to complete his college degree and play professionally. Lindsey Douglas was named to the first team 5-A All-State Volleyball Team by the Texas Sports Writers Association after her senior year of 2004. She was also the District MVP and the Waco Tribune’s Super Centex Player of the Year. She signed to play collegiate volleyball at St. Edwards University. Lindsey Marie Douglas was born in Erie PA on Sept. 4, 1986, to Howard and Mary Jane Douglas. She is the third of four children (Jennifer, Stefanie, Lindsey & Brian) and followed in the footsteps of her older sister, Stefanie, who was named all-state in volleyball in 2000-2002. Lindsey attended elementary school in Harrison City PA until she moved to Belton in the 4th grade. She then attended Belton Intermediate, Belton Jr. H.S. and Belton H.S. where she was academic all-district and graduated in 2005. As a youth Lindsey was active in softball, volleyball and basketball and played volleyball during the summers while in high school for two Austin teams, the Texas Block Party & Austin Junior. Lindsey’s varsity career at BHS under Coach Tina Vaughn-Stowers began as a freshman in 2001 when Belton was 27-8 (10-0 in District 17-4A) and made it to the regional semi-finals. In 2002 the Douglas sisters---6’ 3” senior Stefanie and 5’ 11” soph Lindsey--- led Belton to a 22-10 record and an undefeated record (10-0) in 13-5A as Belton made it to the regional quarterfinals. Stefanie and Lindsey were both named first team all-district in 13-5A (with Stefanie being named all-state for the 3rd straight year). As a junior in 2003 Lindsey led Belton to an 8-2 record as runner-up in District 13-5A and an overall season record of 17-13 that ended with a 1st round playoff loss to Cedar Park. Lindsey averaged 11 kills per match during district play and was first team all-district and the district’s Most Valuable Hitter. She was also named the Team MVP. As a senior in the 2004 season Lindsey led Belton to a season record of 24-12 and 12-2 in District 13-5A as the Tigers were District co-champs. The Tigers lost in the first round of the playoffs to Austin Bowie. Offensively Douglas had 417 kills and 48 aces and, defensively , she recorded 331 digs and 66 blocks. Lindsey was named Team MVP; first team all-district; the 13-5A MVP; the Waco Tribune’s Super Centex Player of the Year; and first team all-state by the Texas Sports Wirters Association. Lindsey was recruited by Abilene Christian, Sam Houston State University, the University of North Alabama, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and St. Edwards University in Austin. She signed to play with St. Edwards in 2005. Lindsey and Stefanie Douglas became the first sisters to be included on the Belton High School Wall of Honor and only the third sibling pair on the Wall (after Toby and Brock Rumfield and Bernard and David Bartek). Quincy Daniels was named to the Class 5-A all-state third team by the Texas Sportswriters Association after his senior season of 2005 in which he rushed for 1738 yards---2nd in school history. He was also named to the all SuperCentex team and signed to play with UMHB. Quincy Daniels was born on Feb. 22, 1988, in Houston TX. Quincy attended elementary school in Houston and moved to Belton when he was in the 7th grade. He is one of three children (Hebert, Keon, Quincy). Daniels was not always a “star” as he only made the “B” team in junior high football but continued to work on his strength, speed and quickness and had become a “star” by the time he was a soph. Quincy played on the JV team as a soph in 2003 but was brought up to the varsity at the end of the year and played for the 9-2 District Co-Champs who lost to Leander in the Bi-District. As a junior in 2004 he was the starting tailback for the Tiger team that was 0-10 and gained 766 yards on the year with a 4.9 average and scored 3 TD’s. Quincy was named 2nd team all-district running back and the team’s best back and offensive MVP. Quincy had a “break-out” year as a senior in 2005 as he led the 4-6 Tigers with 1,738 yards on the season---the 2nd highest total in school history. He rushed for an average of 174 yards per game with highs of 306 yards against Bastrop, 216 against Bryan, 214 against Shoemaker and 211 against Georgetown. Quincy averaged 6.2 yards per carry on the season (277 carries for 1738 yards) though defenses were “stacked” against the run given Belton’s weaker passing attack. He also scored 19 TD’s on the year. Daniels was named 1st team all-district running back. He was named the offensive MVP of the Temple Daily Telegram’s all-area team and to the SuperCentex team by the Waco Tribune. Quincy also received the Legacy Award and the awards for the team’s best offensive back and offensive MVP. He was named 3rd team all-state by the TX Sportswriters. Daniels also excelled in track and field and during his junior season of 2005 he placed 3rd in District 13-5A in the 100 meters at 10.97 and 4th in the 200 meters at 22.10. He finished 6th in the regional in the 200 at 22.33. Quincy also met considerable success in powerlifting finishing 2nd in the regional and 7th at state as a soph; 2nd in the regional and 7th at state (1,445) as a junior; and 1st in the regional 181 lb. division at 1,445 lbs. as a senior. At the Midway meet in Jan. of 2006 Quincy won 1st in the 181 lb. division and set a meet record beating the old squat record with a 560 lb. lift, the old deadlift record with pull of 620 and the overall record with 1,450 lbs. ranking him at that time first in the region and state. Quincy Daniels signed to play football with Division III nationally ranked UMHB for the 2006 season giving Belton fans the opportunity to see him play for four more years. Daliann James became the first Belton H.S. Athlete to win a state championship for four consecutive years when she won the 2006 Texas High School Women’s Powerlifting Association state meet in her senior season after winning in 2003 as a freshman, 2004 as a sophomore, and 2005 as a junior. Daliann finished her high school career with four state records. Daliann Nardeen Olga James was born on July 2, 1987, in Jamaica to Maurice and Maxine James and was the third of five children (Maurice, Maxine, Daliann, Susan & Janice). She lived in Jamaica until the age of seven when she moved to Belton and attended Central Elementary School and Belton Jr. H.S. She graduated from Belton H.S. in 2006. Also, while a BHS student, Daliann was a 2005 Belton Belle and a 2006 debutante for the Ebony Cultural Society. Daliann played basketball as a youth but turned to powerlifting when Belton began its powerlifting program in 2002 under coaches Paul Williams & Damon Phillips. Powerlifting is distinct from weightlifting which is made up of two lifts (the snatch and the clean-and-jerk) and is made up of three lifts (the squat, bench press and deadlift) with competitors getting three attempts in each of the three lift types. The winner is the lifter with the most combined weight in the three categories. Information on powerlifting (e.g., state records) is on the Internet (www.thswpa.com). Daliann’s sister, Maxine, won the state 4A state powerlifting championship in the 181-pound division in 2002 (with a total lift of 890 lbs.) when Daliann was in the 8th grade. Daliann won her first state championship the next year as a freshman in 2003 under coaches Paul Williams & Damon Phillips. She won the 5A 148-pound division at the state meet in Killeen with a total lift of 885 pounds (squat of 330; bench press of 145; and deadlift of 410) and finished 220 pounds ahead of the 2nd place finisher. Her 410 pound deadlift set a girls state powerlifting record. Belton finished 4th in the 5A team standings as Maria Graves was 3rd in the 105-division (with 585) and Tori Langley was 3rd in the 165-division (with 725). Her second state championship came in 2004 as a sophomore as she again won the 5A 148-pound division at the state meet in Killeen. Her total lift of 945 “demolished” the competition with the top lift in the squat (360), bench (150) and deadlift (410) and finished 145 pounds ahead of the 2nd place lifter from Port Arthur. She was named the outstanding lifter for the entire state of Texas for all classes (1A-5A) and set two (overall—1A-5A) state records for the 148 class. James’ won a third consecutive state 5A powerlifting championship in 2005 as a junior. She won the 148-pound division at the Texas H.S. Women’s Powerlifting Association State Meet at the Killeen Civic Center with a total lift of 955 with the best 5A lift in all three categories (squat=350; bench=170; and deadlift=435). Her total lift and 435 in the deadlift were (overall—1A-5A) state records in the 148 div. and she earned Outstanding Lifter honors. Daliann led Belton to a 4th place finish in the team competition as soph Teesa Foxworth also won a state title in the 105-division with lift of 570 lbs. Daliann moved up to the 165-pound division as a senior in 2006 with a new coach, Thance Springer and won the regional meet with a total lift of 1,035 pounds. She had the best squat (385 lbs.) and the best deadlift (465) and was named the Outstanding Lifter at the meet. At the state meet in Killeen on March 18, 2006, Daliann won her fourth consecutive state title with a total lift of 1,040 (480 in the deadlift, 170 in the bench press & 390 in the squat) in the 165-pound division. Her 480 lbs. in the 165-div. squat broke the old state record of 415 lbs. and she finished her career with that record and still holds the state record in the 148 div. in the deadlift and total lift. Daliann enrolled at Temple College in the fall of 2006 pursuing her goal to become a pediatrician.
Brandon Wilde was named third-team 5-A all-state at defensive back by the Texas Sportswriters Association after his junior year of 2005. Due to injuries he played in only 5 games during his senior year of 2006 but still led the Tigers in tackles and signed to play college football with the Air Force Academy. Brandon Joseph Wilde was born on Sept. 30, 1988, in Bryan TX to Leonard and Suzie Wilde and was raised with two older brothers, Michael and Darrel. He attended Belton’s Lakewood Elementary School, Belton Jr. H.S. and Belton H.S., graduating cum laude in 2007. Brandon played soccer as a youth and was a member of the Tiger varsity soccer team as soph, junior and senior. He was named 2nd team all-district as a junior and 1st team all-district as a senior. Wilde also ran the 400 meter dash and on the 400 meter relay team for the Tiger track team for four years. Brandon was a 5'10" 145 lb soph defensive back and kick returner on the 2004 Tiger team that was only 0-10 on the year. He had 28 solo tackles, 57 assisted tackles, 4 caused fumbles & 4 recovered fumbles, one interception, 5 pass breakups and 4 pressures. As a junior in 2005 Brandon was the starting def. back (at 5'10" & 165 lbs) on the 4-6 Tiger team. He led the Tigers with 64 tackles, 64 assisted tackles, 6 caused fumbles, 7 interceptions, 10 pass breakups and 1 blocked FG. Brandon also played some downs as a receiver and had 3 TD passes in 2005. His “highlight game” was against Bastrop in the 2005 season opener as he had 10 solo tackles and 11 assisted tackles, caused a fumble, blocked a FG and had a TD reception. He was named 1st team all-district at defensive back’safety; All-Centex and third-team All State by the Texas Sportswriters Association. The 5'11" 170 lb. Wilde was injured during most of his senior year in 2006 and played in only five games but still managed to make 86 tackles (53 solo and 33 assists) and caused two fumbles. During his three year varsity career he had a total of 299 tackles, caused 12 fumbles with 7 recoveries, had 8 interceptions, 18 pass breakups, 4 pressures and one blocked kick. Brandon also excelled as a student and scored 1260 on his SAT allowing him to be recruited by some of the better academic schools in the nation such as Penn and SMU and was also sought by UMHB, UTEP and Air Force. Wilde was signed by the Air Force Academy and was given a medical leave for the 2007-08 academic year and was expected to play football as a freshman at the Academy in 2008.
Teesa Forworth was the 4-A state power lifting champion in the 105 lb. division as a soph in 2005 and the state runner-up in the same division as a junior in 2006. She is the third Tiger to win state in power lifting after Maxine James (2002) and Dalianne James (2003-2006). Teesa Vere’ Foxworth was born on Sept. 5, 1988, in Temple TX to Darryl and Racheal Lynce. She and her older brother, Justin, grew up in Belton where both attended Miller Heights Elementary School, Belton Jr. H.S. and Belton H.S. Her father, a Bell County Deputy Sheriff, is a coach for the Temple Flyers (a youth track club) and thus Teesa grew up running track. While attending Belton H.S. Teesa participated in track, basketball and power lifting. She was a point guard on the freshman and JV basketball teams and ran the sprints and relays on the Tiger track team with personal bests of 12.7 in the 100 meters and 26.4 in the 200 meters. As a junior her 400-meter relay team finished 4th in the 2006 District Meet. She also ran for the Temple Flyers in the summers qualifying for regionals in the 100 meters at 12.7. Teesa was coached in power lifting in her soph year of 2005 by Paul Williams and won the state 4A championship in the 105 lb. weight division with a total score of 570 lbs. She lifted 235 lbs. in the squat, 100 lbs. in the bench press and 235 lbs. in the deadlift for a total score of 570 lbs (the state runner-up lifted 560 lbs.). Foxworth helped Belton finish 4th in the team competition as Dalianne James won the 181 lbs. division. Foxworth was the state runner-up in the 105 lb. division as a junior in 2006 under Coach Thance Springer. She did not compete in her senior year. Teesa Foxworth graduated from Belton H.S. in 2007 and was attending Temple College during the 2007-08 academic year studying to be a paramedic.
BRIANNA BOZON Brianna Bozon was named to the 5-A All-State softball team by the Texas H.S. Girls Coaches Association as a soph in 2007. She became the 12th Belton girl to be inducted into the Belton Wall of Honor. In 2009 Bozon signed to play college softball at St. Edwards University in Austin. Brianna Marie Bozon was born on Oct. 23, 1990, in Temple TX to Carl and Barbara Bozon. She and her older brother, Brandon, grew up in Belton as Brianna attended Leon Heights Elementary School, Belton Intermediate School, Belton Jr. H.S. and Belton H.S. graduating in 2009. Her father, Carl, is a Senior VP of the First Texas Bank of Belton and her mother, Barbara, is the executive director of the Temple Housing Authority. As a youth Brianna played several sports (softball, soccer, basketball and volleyball) thru her sophomore year at Belton. She was involved in “select” teams as early as the age of 8 when she played “select” softball. She played only softball in her Jr and Sr years at Belton H.S. Brianna was coached as a Fr and So by Mariann Deshazer & as a Jr & Sr by Matt Blackburn. In her freshman year of 2006 Brianna was called up to the varsity near the end of the year as the Tigers lost in the playoffs to The Woodlands. In Bozon’s soph year of 2007 the Tigers finished the year at 19-9 (10-2); was the #2 seed in District 13-5A; and lost in the 1st round of the playoffs to Round Rock McNeil. Brianna was named 1st team All-District in 13-5A in 2007 as a soph and was named All-State by the Texas H.S. Girls Coaches Association (qualifying her for the Belton Wall of Honor). Brianna was given the “Big Stick” award by her coaches for her offensive performance as a soph. She hit .404 on the year with a slugging average of .685 & on-base percentage of .443. She had 36 hits in 89 at bats with 22 singles, 8 doubles, one triple and 5 HRs & 20 runs She had 24 RBIs with 20 runs and an on-base percentage of .443. She had a fielding percentage of .933 as a third baseman and made only one error all year. In Brianna’s Jr year of 2008 the Tigers finished at 25-8 & as the #2 seed in District 13-5A & lost in the 1st round of the playoffs to Round Rock Westwood. Brianna hit .462 on the year with 17 doubles, 4 triples & 24 RBIs. She was named 1st team all-district at third base. In Brianna’s Sr year of 2009 Belton finished at 22-13 & was 2nd in the district. The Tigers defeated N. Mesquite, 20-3, in the 1st round of the playoffs and Richardson Lake Highlands, 10-0, in the 2nd round before losing in the 3rd round to Mesquite Horn, 2-1. As a Sr in 2009 Brianna hit .385 with 33 runs scored and 35 RBIs---she was responsible for 68 runs out of the 206 runs scored by the Tigers for the season. Bozon was named 1st team all-district and was voted the offensive player of the year for District 12-5A. She was voted by her team as defensive player of the year (the golden glove award). Brianna graduated from Belton H.S. in 2009 and was 27th in her class of 494 students. She had a GPA of 4.9 and participated in college level courses at the Temple College Texas Bioscience program for the 2008/2009 school year. Brianna signed to play softball at St. Edwards U and was given an athletic scholarship and the President’s Award (an academic scholarship). She will major in kinesiology with emphasis on pre-physical therapy and plans to go into the field of prosthetics and orthotics. Brianna Bozon was inducted into the Belton H.S. Athletic Wall of Honor in 2009 with fellow inductees Joshua Caffey (boys soccer) and Morgan Toone (track & field). Brianna became the fourth softball player to be named to the Wall of Honor after Jennifer Beach (1997) Audrey Puckett (1999), and Daniele Thomas (1999).
MORGAN TOONE Morgan Toone was the state runner-up in the pole vault as a Sr in 2009 & was 3rd in the state as a Jr in 2008. She was a 4-time district champion and was the regional champion in 2008 & 2009. She was ranked #4 in the nation in 2009 and signed with Vanderbilt University. Toone became the first female track athlete to be inducted into the Belton Athletic Wall of Honor. Morgan Kasey Toone was born on Nov. 29, 1990, in Odessa TX to John and Danette Toone. She and her older sister, Madison, were raised in Belton where Morgan attended Sparta Elementary School, Belton Intermediate School, Belton Jr.H.S. and graduated from Belton H.S. in 2009. Morgan participated in several sports as a youth such as basketball, soccer, cross country, track and tennis but pursued only tennis and track & field in her high school years. Morgan began vaulting “officially” in junior high school but her preparation for a vaulting career began much earlier as when she was little she would take a broom stick and vault herself over the coach and across the yard. When she found out that pole vaulting was a sport, she decided to try it. In junior high school Morgan was the district champion in both 7th and 8th grade and set a national age record in 8th grade at 10’9”. Toone vaulted for 6 years in Junior and Senior high school under head track coach Denise Petter and assistants Gary Bunch (vaulting) and Karen Francis (running). She also trained with private coaches throughout her vaulting career starting with Jack Chapman and then with Paul Richards in Dallas TX. Morgan was District Champion for 4 consecutive years as a Fr (11’6”), Soph (11’6”) Jr (12’0”) & Sr (11’ 0”). Morgan was the regional champion as a Jr in 2008 with a vault of 12’ 0” and missed gold at the state meet by 3 inches as she won the bronze medal at 12’ 9” (only 3 inches below the winner’s height & a Belton school record). The state champion in 2008 was Shane Weygandt of Mansfield who won the 5A vault 3 times and set a state record in 2007 at 13’ 7”. The silver medalist in 2008 also vaulted 12’ 9” but had fewer misses than Toone. Toone was the vault champion at the Regional in 2009 as a Sr with a vault of 11’6” and vaulted 12’3” to finish 2nd at the 2009 state meet. She fell only 3 inches short of the state champion, Demi Payne of New Branfels at 12’ 6”. Toone vaulted sparingly in the 2009 season as she had bouts of mononucleosis and the flu causing her to limit her vaults---she took only a combined eight vaults at the District 12-5A and Region II meets to clinch her spot in the state meet. At the state meet she took a total of nine attempts at four different heights. She opened with a 11’ 6” vault and made her second attempt at 12’ 0” to eliminate all the other 5A vaulters except Payne. Morgan beat the 3rd place vaulter by 15 inches. After the 2009 state track meet, Toone ranked #3 in TX in the girls pole vault. She also placed 3rd her senior year at the Texas Relays in Austin and had a season best vault of 12’6” (her career best was the 12’ 9” in 2008). Morgan was ranked 4th in the nation in 2009. Morgan received a track scholarship to Vanderbilt University and plans to study neuroscience as she prepares to become a chiropractor. Morgan Toone was inducted into the Belton H.S. Athletic Wall of Honor in 2009 with fellow inductees Joshua Caffey (boys soccer) and Brianna Bozon (softball). Morgan was Belton’s first female track inductee.
JOSHUA CAFFEY Joshua Caffey was named to ESPN’s 2nd team H.S. All-American soccer team after his senior season of 2009. Joshua was all-district for 4 years and MVP of the district as a Jr and Sr. He signed to play soccer at the U. of New Mexico. Joshua Daniel Caffey was born on Nov. 13, 1990 to Rick and Sherry Caffey. His father was a conductor on the Burlington Northern Railroad. He and his two older siblings, Kyle & Kelly grew up in Temple where Joshua was home schooled for grades 1-7 before attending Belton Jr. H.S. and Belton H.S. where he graduated in 2009. Caffey was active in track and tennis at Belton Jr. H.S. but focused only on soccer in H.S. He played on the Centex Storm, a “select” soccer team from the age of 10 thru his Fr year and on the Lonestars of Austin during his Soph, Jr & Sr years. The Lonestars won the state championship of Texas during Joshua’s Fr year and in his Jr year the Lonestars made the semi-finals in the Dallas Cup (an international tournament) losing to a professional team from Mexico. In 2008 the Lonestars, sponsored by the U.S. Soccer Federation Academy, made the finals of the (international) Disney Cup in Orlando FL losing to a Pennsylvania team. At Belton H.S. Joshua was a 4-year starter and was named All-District all four years in H.S. He was named the District’s Newcomer of the Year as a Fr in 2006 and the MVP of District 13-5A as a Jr in 2008 & as a Sr in 2009. He was elected to the Waco Tribune-Herald’s Super CenTex team for his Soph, Jr & Sr years and was named All-Regional for Region II by the TX Association of Soccer Coaches in 2009. As a Sr. Caffey was one of only four Texans named to ESPN’s 1st and 2nd team H.S. All-American soccer teams (the other three were from Coppell, Plano & Dallas Jesuit)—Caffey was named as 2nd team All-American). He was also named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America/Adidas H.S. Boys All-Region VI (the southwest U.S.) team in 2008. In his Fr year of 2006 Belton was 22-4-2 (13-1) on the year and won the District 13-5A championship as the Tigers defeated Bastrop, 1-0, in a shoot-out in the playoffs before losing in the regional quarterfinal to The Woodlands. In his Soph year of 2007 Belton was 17-6-1 (10-2) and won the District championship before losing in the playoffs to Klein Collins, 1-0, on a free kick. In his Jr season of 2008 Belton was 15-8-1 (10-2) on the year and finished as runner-up in 13-5A. The Tigers lost to Klein, 7-0, in the 1st round of the 2008 playoffs. In Joshua’s Sr season of 2009 Belton was 26-2 on the year and was undefeated in district play. Belton defeated North Mesquite, 7-0, and Garland Rowlett, 3-0, in the playoffs before losing to Garland Sachse in the regional quarterfinals. Belton was ranked #3 in 5A in TX before the playoff loss to Sachse and was ranked as high as #5 in the U.S. according to the ESPN Fab 50 poll before losing in the 2009 playoffs. The Tigers outscored their opponents 115-20 during the regular season (before playoffs). Joshua’s coach for all four years at Belton was Tarcisio Mosnia. As a senior, Joshua Caffey was 6’3” & 175 lbs. He had 104 career goals at Belton H.S.with 33 goals as a Jr in 2008 & 36 goals as a Sr in 2009. He scored 4 goals in one game (against Shoemaker) as a Fr in 2006. Another highlight was the two goals he scored in a 3-0 playoff victory over Rowlett in 2009. Joshua was named to the U.S. National Team in July of 2009. Joshua received an athletic scholarship to the U. of New Mexico----a team that has made 6 NCAA appearances in the last 9 years. He enrolled in summer school in 2009 at UNM. Joshua Caffey was inducted into the Belton H.S. Athletic Wall of Honor in 2009 with fellow inductees Morgan Toone (pole vault) and Brianna Bozon (softball). He was Belton’s first soccer player to be named to the Wall of Honor and Toone was the first track & field girl to be so honored.
HARRIS HIGH SCHOOL STATE CHAMPIONS THRU 1967 African-Americans in Belton were excluded from Belton High School until 1967 when Harris High closed and BHS was “integrated.” Many great Black athletes played for Harris High School from the 1930’s thru 1967 and competed in the Prairie View Interscholastic League (PVIL). There are no official “all-state” teams from the PVIL in football, basketball, etc., but state champion individuals and teams were crowned from 1940-1969 in track and field. There are only incomplete records existing today from the state PVIL track meets in 1940-1969 but sporadic and incomplete newspaper coverage by the Belton Journal and a book (Remembering the Past With Pride: State Championship Track & Field events for Blacks in TX, 1940-1969) by Walter E. Day of Ft. Worth) indicate that that several Harris HS athletes won state championships. Records indicate that Harris H.S. won at least one team championship (the Class B girls title in 1955); one relay championship (the 1955 Class B girls 440-yd relay); and four individual titles (Charles Sweeney in the 440-yd dash in 1952 & 1953; Austin Cleveland in the mile in 1954; & Barbara Lewis in the baseball throw in 1955). 1952--Class B 440-yd Dash---Charles Sweeney won the 440-yd dash in 1952. 1953 –Class B 440-yd Dash---Charles Sweeney won the 440-yd dash in 1953. 1954—Class B One Mile Run---Austin Cleveland won the mile run in 5:08.8 defeating boys from Massey Lake and Granger Crispus Attucks. 1955--Class B Girls State Team Champions---The 1955 Harris girls team scored 36 points to win the Class B team title over 30 other schools. Team members were Connie Sweeney, Mattie Demerson, Cora Ford, Annie M. Knight, Barbara Lewis and Mary Busby. 1955--Class B Girls 440-yd Relay---The team of Connie Sweeney, Mattie Demerson, Cora Ford and Annie Knight (with Mary Busby as the alternate in the prelims) won the Class B 440-yd relay in 1955. 1955--Class B Girls Baseball Throw--Barbara Lewis won 1955 Baseball Throw In 2005 Connie Sweeney is a member of the Belton ISD School Board and President of the West Belton-Harris Ex-Students Association; Barbara G. Lewis is a retired educator and works as a nurse at Park Place Manor in Belton; Annie M. Knight works in the funeral business in Belton; Mary A. Busby lives in Atlanta GA; and Charles Sweeney is retired from hotel maintenance in Denver and resides in Belton. Austin Cleveland and Mattie R. Demerson are deceased. Connie Sweeney has had three children (Bryan A. Sweeney, Marion Demerson & Deidra L. Sweeney) and three grandchildren (Fabian Roberson, Nathan Nolan and Ceidra Nolan) play sports at Belton H.S. while Annie M. Knight’s grandson, Jonathan Ferguson, played for the Tigers. |
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